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What’s New
In February, 2006, the House passed a bill that would require the state to put the trees in our state forests up for sale every ten years unless it would be illegal or unsustainable to do so. This startling mandate would run roughshod over all the other purposes our state forests serve, such as vacation destinations, wildlife habitat, and a true wilderness heritage to share with the next generation.
A version of this bill is currently under consideration by a Senate committee. If this version becomes law, it would require the Department of Natural Resources to go through a time-consuming, expensive rulemaking process every time it decided that logging was not the best option for a given piece of state forest – and each rule would expire in five years. PIRGIM is working to prevent this bill from becoming law in either form. Read our testimony.
How You Can Help
Please take a moment to e-mail your state senator to oppose H.B. 5453, a bill that would require the state to sell the trees in our state forests for logging, and prevent the public from having a say in the decision.
Brief Summary
As the southern half of Michigan sprawls out of control, Michigan’s northern half remains almost entirely forested, and includes the most extensive public forests east of the Mississippi River. These majestic wilderness areas give Michigan its character, provide habitat for wildlife, and offer places to hunt, camp, and hike for both citizens and visitors, forming the backbone of Michigan’s $12 billion tourist economy.
But our wilderness resources are at risk of being irresponsibly exploited. Powerful special interests – from developers to the timber, mining, oil and gas industries - view the places we love most as a treasure chest they can raid for profit, and they are asking for our lawmakers’ help to do it. From an industry-backed package of forestry bills that would turn our state forests into woodlots, to a proposal for a hazardous sulfide mine upstream from Lake Superior, to a plan to sell off vast tracts of public lands to private developers, it is clear that special interests are putting Michigan’s majestic wilderness areas at risk.
Experiencing Michigan’s wild heritage is a fundamental part of Michigan’s culture and the backbone of its tourist economy. To ensure that present and future generations can continue the traditions that Michigan’s wilderness heritage makes possible, we must ensure that:
- Our forests are managed to provide opportunities for recreation; habitat for fish, game, and plants; and to preserve their beauty for future generations
- Our wilderness is kept free from mining, drilling, and other activities that pollute and degrade
- Our scarce old-growth forestlands are protected and expanded
- Our public forestlands are not sold for private development
Resources
Testimony before the Senate Agriculture, Forestry, and Tourism Committee on HB5453 3/16/06
