Trump wants to increase logging in national parks

[Greg Bernhardt]

Trump wants to use the ‘God Squad’ to increase logging, but it must follow strict rules​

Trump wants to use the 'God Squad' to increase logging, but it must follow strict rules

President Donald Trump wants to increase logging in national forests and on public lands, including by bypassing endangered species protections.

apnews.com

President Donald Trump wants to increase logging in national forests and on public lands, including by bypassing endangered species protections.

To do that, the federal government would have to activate a seldom-used committee nicknamed the “God Squad” because it can approve federal projects even if it leads to extinction of a species otherwise protected by the Endangered Species Act.

Outside of the facts that our national parks are world treasures of natural beauty and protected species should remain protected, what do we think about increasing logging in national parks? Are there areas we can do it responsibly or is this an outright awful idea?

 

[Rive]

Already too many absurdities to properly process

 

[fresh_42]

A news channel here titled: "Trump's reconstruction of the USA". Well, that's what he factually does. The Taliban in Afghanistan destroyed a giant Buddha statue. Trump destroys a lot more!

Edit: The real scandal is that they let him!

 

[fresh_42]

For the historically interested readers: The tipping point in Germany had been the "Enabling Act". Watch out!

 

[Klystron]

Many national and state parks in California of my youth featured trails, footbridges, even small-scale railroads built among old growth forrests by the CCC before WWII.

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilian_Conservation_Corps:

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28

The CCC was a major part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal that supplied manual labor jobs related to the conservation and development of natural resources in rural lands owned by federal, state, and local governments. The CCC was designed to supply jobs for young men and to relieve families who had difficulty finding jobs during the Great Depression

Though I doubt if Trump knows or cares about conservation corps, any program created by FDR became a shibboleth to right-wing wreckers no matter societal benefits. Logging and "development" that obliterates public lands and places resources in corrupt hands serves.

 

[placebo]

Outside of the facts that our national parks are world treasures of natural beauty and protected species should remain protected, what do we think about increasing logging in national parks? Are there areas we can do it responsibly or is this an outright awful idea?

Given this administration, I'd side with "outright awful idea." It would be one thing if the committee were to do its job honestly, but with this administration's attitude that it's above the law, I wouldn't trust the committee to do the right thing.

 

[gleem]

National forests are distinct from National Parks. National parks are for preservation for future generations: take only pictures, leave only footprints. National forests are multiple use managed lands. National forests permit the extraction of resources, including timber. However, such activities may be restricted due to environmental concerns including endangered species.

National forest (United States) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

There are 153M acres of National forests. Thirty-eight states maintain 83M acres of state forests similar to national forests and logging may be permitted with some restrictions.

Some proponents of ignoring endangered species restrictions insist economic concerns trump the preservation of any other species. Man is the most invasive species on earth and the only one that can control its behavior concerning its expansion. When a mine goes dry, the affected population adapts or moves on. Why can't those dependent on logging do the same? When it comes to choosing between money and anything else, the dollar seems to win.

 

[archosaur]

I just want to mention one of my favorite books: The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey

The Monkey Wrench Gang is a novel written by American author Edward Abbey (1927–1989), published in 1975.
Abbey's most famous work of fiction, the novel concerns the use of sabotage to protest environmentally damaging activities in the Southwestern United States, and was so influential that the term "monkeywrench," often used as a verb, has come to mean, besides sabotage and damage to machines, any sabotage, activism, law-making, or law-breaking to preserve wilderness, wild spaces and ecosystems.

 

[dlu]

Depends upon the usage of the harvested 'wood'.
If in a national or regional interest such as harvesting timber to build homes in fire ravaged LA, then yes to using American trees to fulfil the purpose.

If the wood is used for something such as say being chipped down for use in gasification plants locally, or internationally, then the economic interests involved are dubious.

 

[NTL2009]

It's tough for me to take that article seriously (though it may be). When they use the term "God Squad", it sure comes across as having an agenda. It is "The Endangered Species Committee", why not just call it that, rather than some loaded term? It's not clear who started the term, Wiki just says "it became known as". True journalism shouldn't appear to take sides, just report the facts, please.