There’s a shakeup in managing Michigan’s forests.
A new advisory council is heavily weighted with voices from the timber industry, and there will be more emphasis on developing forest products to boost the state’s economy.
Governor Rick Snyder says there’s a lot of potential to use natural resources to bring in more revenue.
The head of the Department of Natural Resources has just appointed a new ten member forest advisory council. Eight of the ten members are connected to the timber industry.
The new council will focus on developing logging and lumber, pulp and paper, and biofuels. An existing forest management advisory group includes other interests such as wildlife, recreation and conservation as well as logging.
Marvin Roberson with the Sierra Club says those other voices largely will be gone from the new council.
“I think this is going to mean a lack of management for natural conservation values and an increase in management for timber-only values,” said Roberson.
The DNR also is reorganizing its forestry division so that come January it will no longer deal with oil, gas and minerals or recreation on state forestland.
-Bob Allen for The Environment Report
