In response to two Massachusetts Forest Alliance board members who commented on my Aug. 15 column “Seeing the forest through the trees,” the MFA has on its board a group that used to be called the Massachusetts Wood Producers Association, which they describe as “an organization of the primary wood manufacturing industry in Massachusetts, representing sawmill operators, loggers, truckers, firewood dealers and businesses associated with the forest industry.”
The writers criticize my “ill-informed ideas about carbon and forest management.” Most of the data I summarized in my column came from the 304-page Greenfield Open Space and Recreation Plan (2021 – 2028).
The writers said they were “unable to track down” my reference that “forest harvesting accounts for 85% of the carbon lost from forests each year.” Page 4-30 of the city’s Open Space report says: “In Massachusetts, it is estimated that forests sequester 14% of the state’s gross annual carbon emissions, according to Mass Audubon. According to Mass Audubon, “Keeping forest as forest avoids carbon emissions from land use conversion. Forest harvesting currently accounts for 85% of the carbon lost from forests each year.”
Our Open Space Plan calls for “thoughtful conservation and stewardship of open spaces, woodlands, farms and river corridors.”
“Carefully sited housing development … can reduce impacts to the city’s natural environment,” it reads.
Sawmill operators, loggers, and even developers should see the advantage of land stewardship versus clear-cutting our forests.
Al Norman
Greenfield