Coalition for Responsible Logging

The Coalition for Responsible Logging (CORL) continues to work toward getting reforms enacted, through legislation, to better regulate the rapidly growing timber industry in West Virginia. Over the last year and a half, CORL has held monthly strategy meetings; monitored and testified at legislative interim meetings, for the Timber Study Committee; introduced two separate timber-reform bills in the 2001 legislature; educated citizens and lawmakers about the need for timber reforms; and aided in the flood relief efforts in Southern West Virginia during the devastating 2001 floods. Member groups in the Coalition include:

• WV Highlands Conservancy
• Catholic Committee on Appalachia
• Religious Campaign for Forest Conservation
• Trout Unlimited
• WV Environmental Council
• WV Rivers Coalition
• WV Sierra Club
• WV Organizing Project

Since 1992, WV has had on the books the Logging Sediment Control Act (LSCA), which was intended to properly regulate timber operations. Major loopholes in the LSCA have allowed some timber operators to regularly violate Best Management Practices (BMP), which are, under current law, mostly voluntary, while avoiding any type of penalty or prosecution. Frequently, bad timber jobs do not adequately control soil erosion from water run off. It is not difficult for the average citizen to notice how our streams and rivers seem to be muddy after almost any rainfall, which partly reflects the lack of sediment run off control from poorly designed timber sites. Timber theft is at an all time high, especially since one sizable hardwood log could be worth several thousand dollars at a lumber mill.

This past summer, southern WV experienced devastating flooding, leaving thousands of people homeless. Undoubtedly, over-cutting of trees on too-steep slopes and poor timber-job design contributed to the degree of flooding in these steep hollows and river valleys.

Enforcement of the current LSCA is primarily the job of WV Division of Forestry. Currently, about 85 WVDOF foresters try to monitor 3,204 timber jobs per year (2000), plus follow up on complaints of illegal timbering. Obviously, not all sites get inspected even once, and of those that do, more than 25% are out of compliance. DOF’s job is made more difficult by the ponderous enforcement system of the LSCA. A logger violating BMP’s rarely receives more than a slap-on-the-wrist compliance order, with fines and suspensions almost never occurring, regardless of the severity of the violations.

CORL’s objective is to improve upon the 1992 LSCA in ways that will: ensure proper timber-site design; notify adjacent land owners of a timber job; make BMP’s mandatory, not voluntary; protect our streams and rivers from sediment and muddy run off; avoid too-steep slope logging, that can lead to increased flooding; hold irresponsible operators accountable for reclaiming messy and illegal sites; and improve enforcement of the regulations through increased funding of state agencies and stricter penalties for violators.

While the virtue of CORL seems self-evident, the timber industries, many of which are large out-of-state companies, are opposing any reform. Well-financed groups like the WV Forestry Association will continue to oppose anything that would cause their members to have to follow more closely the law, or spend money to do timber jobs properly. Through misleading advertising and paid spokesmen, big timber will try to convince WV citizens that the status quo of our forests and streams has never been better. I say tell that to the recent flood victims of southern WV; the fishermen whose stream is always muddy; and the landowner whose trees have been stolen by an unscrupulous logger. I believe most West Virginians want to see safe, legal, proper timbering done in a manner that will ensure protection of our streams and forests for generations to come.

To contribute to CORL’s effort, or to receive more information, write:

CORL
RR1 Box 108
Ripley WV 25271