Friday, April 11, 2008

Saving NH's Working Forests

Tom Thomson has an article in today's Union Leader on how to get the most out of New Hampshire's working forest:
We know the wood fiber is there. Forest landowners are unwilling to give their wood away; all we need is to have markets that pay everyone in the forest food chain their fair share, and you will see plenty of wood available.

We all have been hit hard by the energy crisis, but this crisis brings great opportunities for our state and the forest community by using low-grade forest products (our natural renewable resource) in a sustainable manner to produce a significant percentage of our energy needs here in New Hampshire, provide thousands of jobs and keep our energy dollars here at home. I call on Gov. John Lynch and all other elected or appointed state officials to become fully engaged in this important issue. We have reached a crisis in New Hampshire's working forest. We need to act now or our timber industry -- New Hampshire's oldest, largest continuous industry -- will be gone.

Markets, not subsidies and regulations, are the way to grow the economy in rural New Hampshire.

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