In your article regarding restored funding for the local forestry office, you quote my letter to state Reps. Parish and Ortiz, in which I state that if funding is provided, it should be directed toward small timber sales, increased recreational opportunities, wildfire suppression, and other forest activities that provide for local needs and that support the local economy. The quote requires further context. The focus of my letter was that funding should not be used for large, extractive timber sales such as Baby Brown (which Rep. Ortiz calls “important”) that provide few, if any, local benefits, and end up costing the state a great deal. In 2014, state timber sales cost the state $8.17 for every dollar returned. In 2015 it was $9.16! A local forestry position should not facilitate paying someone from out of state to cut our forests and export unprocessed logs, leaving us nothing but stumps.
Eric Holle, President
Lynn Canal Conservation, Inc.
