Forestry Industry Says Federal Aid Could Help Slow Global Warming

September 29, 2021 by Tom Ramstack
Forestry Industry Says Federal Aid Could Help Slow Global Warming
A forest scene in Huntley Meadows Park, Alexandria, Virginia. (Photo by Dan McCue)

WASHINGTON — Forestry industry executives told a congressional panel Wednesday many of the solutions to climate change lie in the woodlands but public policy sometimes puts an environmental fix out of reach.

Part of the answer could be as easy as providing incentives for small businesses to plant more trees, they said.

“Protecting our environment does not have to be bad for business,” said Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, chairman of the House Small Business subcommittee on underserved, agricultural and rural business development.

The forestry industry hopes to win some of the funding in the Biden administration’s Build Back Better Plan.

The $3.5 trillion plan would include a dramatic increase in funds for infrastructure investment and environmental protection, which could include financial assistance to the forestry industry.

Members of Congress continued making final revisions to the Build Back Better Act this week as it heads to a crucial vote before the new fiscal year begins Friday. If they cannot reach agreement, the federal government faces the risk of a shutdown.

The congressional hearing Wednesday addressed challenges to the forestry industry as a small business problem because much of the logging is done by family-owned companies with fewer than 20 employees.

Among their challenges are high equipment and insurance costs, a lack of low-cost trucking services and tough federal regulations.

Together they mean forestry companies often have small profit margins of 1% to 3%, making it difficult for them to attract younger employees seeking career opportunities. 

Golden described the declining forestry industry as a tragedy that could be avoided if it could be developed to its full potential. Forestry contributes about 5% of U.S. manufacturing output.

“Innovative new forest products hit the market every year,” he said.

Examples include plastics made from organic material, cellulose that could be used for biofuel and biomass that can be burned to generate heat and electricity.

Rep. Jim Hagedorn, R-Minn., blamed “extreme environmentalists” for some of the industry’s problems.

Their efforts to prevent logging to protect forests not only prevent the industry from thriving, they also add to risks of wildfires by not removing dead wood or underbrush that fuels the flames, he said.

“When [forests] burn down, they say it’s all climate change,” Hagedorn said. 

Meanwhile, the forestry companies “saw their incomes go up literally in smoke,” he said.

He prefers proposals that would allow the forestry industry to cultivate more of the nation’s woodlands in a way that protects them, even when they lie on federal property.

Forestry advocates described their industry as being caught in a dilemma in confronting climate change.

On one hand, tree leaves remove the carbon dioxide that contributes to global warming, through photosynthesis. On the other hand, global warming is causing more devastating forest fires, thereby destroying the trees that benefit the environment.

Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy that, through cellular respiration, can fuel the organism’s activities. In other words, tree leaves absorb polluting carbon dioxide and replace it with fresh oxygen. 

Adam Daigneault, a forestry professor at the University of Maine, said forests remove 12% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions but the amount could be doubled with financial incentives.

“Markets are really key to sustaining the health and viability of our forests,” Daigneault said.

Scott Dane, executive director of the American Loggers Council, said more wildfires are turning U.S. forests into contributors to carbon emissions that cause global warming rather than a solution to the problem.

He mentioned as an example video he submitted that showed some of the recent damage caused by wildfires that burned about three million acres in California and other western states.

Intelligent cultivation of the forests could have prevented many of the fires, he said.

“Put simply, loggers ensure healthy forests,” Dane said.

A+
a-
  • forestry industry
  • global warming
  • trees
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Climate

    March 20, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    White House Unveils Sweeping Rules to Speed Switch to Cleaner Cars

    WASHINGTON — The Biden-Harris administration on Wednesday rolled out an ambitious new regulatory regime aimed at bolstering the standards of... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Biden-Harris administration on Wednesday rolled out an ambitious new regulatory regime aimed at bolstering the standards of electric and hybrid vehicles by placing new restrictions on tailpipe emissions. According to administration officials, who briefed reporters on the new rules during a conference call... Read More

    March 15, 2024
    by Tom Ramstack
    Senate Told Growing Wildfire Threat Needs New Strategies

    WASHINGTON — The number of wildfires driven by climate change has grown but the U.S. effort to control them has... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The number of wildfires driven by climate change has grown but the U.S. effort to control them has not, according to emergency response officials at a Senate hearing Thursday. At least not fast enough to prevent disasters like the fire that ravaged Maui in... Read More

    Storm Carrying Massive 'Gorilla Hail' Hits Parts of Kansas and Missouri

    ST. LOUIS (AP) — Massive chunks of hail pelted parts of Kansas and Missouri on Wednesday night, bringing traffic to... Read More

    ST. LOUIS (AP) — Massive chunks of hail pelted parts of Kansas and Missouri on Wednesday night, bringing traffic to a standstill along Interstate 70, as storms unleashed possible tornadoes and meteorologists urged residents to stay indoors. There were three unconfirmed reports of tornadoes in Wabaunsee... Read More

    Climate, a Major Separator for Biden and Trump, Is a Dividing Line in Many Other Races

    RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The race for the White House isn’t the only one with big stakes for climate policy.... Read More

    RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The race for the White House isn’t the only one with big stakes for climate policy. In campaigns for Congress and for governor around the country, candidates are talking about how green the grid should be, too. Voters are increasingly feeling the impacts... Read More

    The First-Ever European Climate Risk Assessment Finds a Continent Unprepared for Growing Extremes

    Europe is facing growing climate risks and is unprepared for them, the European Environment Agency said in its first-ever risk... Read More

    Europe is facing growing climate risks and is unprepared for them, the European Environment Agency said in its first-ever risk assessment for the bloc Monday. The agency said Europe is prone to more frequent and more punishing weather extremes — including increasing wildfires, drought, more unusual... Read More

    Fewer Fish and More Algae? Scientists Seek to Understand Impacts of Historic Lack of Great Lakes Ice

    RACINE, Wis. (AP) — Michigan Tech University biologists have been observing a remote Lake Superior island's fragile wolf population every... Read More

    RACINE, Wis. (AP) — Michigan Tech University biologists have been observing a remote Lake Superior island's fragile wolf population every winter since 1958, but they had to cut this season's planned seven-week survey short after just two weeks. The ski plane they study the wolves from... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top