Recently, the Wendell Selectboard sent you a letter opposing H. 897, An Act Relative to Forest Protection. As citizens and voters of Wendell, and your constituents, we join the Wendell Selectboard in its opposition to this legislation.
What supporters of H. 897, such as RESTORE: The North Woods and the Wendell State Forest Alliance, have not entirely articulated is the full impact of this proposed legislation. In 2010, stakeholders from across the commonwealth, including environmental activists, state and local officials, land trusts, and individuals representing state or national conservation agencies got together to define three types of use designations within state protected land:
■park, which comprises areas of active recreation;
■woodland, which undergoes active forest management; and
■reserve, which is primarily untouched land.
These designations were determined after careful study and an inclusive process involving many stakeholders. At the time, climate change was a known threat, and the role of carbon sequestration in climate mitigation has been studied since at least the mid-2000s; however these stakeholders still agreed on the above designations.
H. 897, would significantly change these agreed-upon designations by eliminating woodlands from our state protected lands. Some proponents of this measure argue that forest science is junk science, and that only climate science is valid. Some proponents also deride valid science around bird habitat loss in the commonwealth as for the birds. In doing so, these proponents are engaging in a form of anti-science, where they pick and choose which science is valid based on their world view. Science must be viewed holistically, and conflicting scientific conclusions must be reconciled through sound policy making.
Make no mistake, we view climate change as an emergency. Climate change will bring temperature changes to our region, and is also projected to bring intensified storms, allow incursion of new invasive insects and other pests due to increases in their ranges due to more favorable temperatures, and the further diminishing of habitats for threatened species. It is paramount that within this context, our state agencies tasked with managing our protected state lands have flexibility to manage forests to address these threats. H. 897, by eliminating woodlands all together, hamstrings these agencies in terms of their available climate mitigation strategies. For example:
■H. 897 does not allow for commercial logging, meaning local loggers will not be able to bid on these projects, and meaning rather than receiving revenue from the projects, the state will need to pay to have the logging done;
■H. 897 expressly states that the timber in reserves shall not be sold, removed or destroyed, and diseased timber, and the associated pests, will remain in the forest;
■H. 897 allows for vegetation management to ensure public health and safety; provide fire protection and prevention; remove invasive species or pests; restore or protect habitats for rare or endangered species and exemplary or rare natural communities; control erosion and stabilize soils; maintain existing agricultural fields, vistas, and hiking trails, which DCR forest management plans already address in woodlands, a designation which we believe should be maintained;
H. 897 importantly bans creation of new fields, vistas, and wildlife openings thus depriving the ability to habitat manage, which proponents have claimed the bill still allows.
Equally as important, H. 897 was drafted by an activist group, RESTORE: The North Woods, and has been locally supported by a small, but vocal, group of Wendell residents who do not represent a majority of stakeholders, nor is there evidence that they speak for a majority of Wendell citizens.
The park, woodland and reserve designations will hopefully be up for review soon, and presumably this would involve another public, inclusive process where all stakeholders have a seat at the table. The Legislature, by taking up H. 897 and relying on proponents and opponents lobbying for and against its passage, would circumvent an important public process that is necessary to ensure all stakeholders are at the table and that sound public policy is developed around managing our forests with climate change mitigation, habitat loss, and other important environmental factors considered carefully.
Such a public process should not be circumvented by the Legislature.
We urge you to reject H. 897 and we do not believe this measure should be sent from the committee to the full Legislature for a vote.
Ray DiDonato, of Wendell, is among the over 30 Wendell residents and one landowner who sent this letter to Rep. Susannah Whipps, I-Athol, and Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, last week,