Forest Committee Gets Plenty of Input on Future of Maine Trees
12/17/97
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Headline: Forest Committee Gets Plenty of Input on Future of Maine Trees
Source: The Associated Press
Date: 12/17/97
Copyright: 1997 Boston Globe
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - Roger Stevens Jr., a Lincoln paper
mill worker, told lawmakers he's against any new
forest-cutting regulations that would change the status
quo.
Stevens, who also is on the Penobscot County town's
council, reminded legislators that Maine voters twice
rejected the Compact for Maine's Forests, which was
backed by the timber industry and a popular Gov. Angus
King.
``I would hope this committee would think long and hard
about superseding the will of the people,'' Stevens said.
More than a month after voters defeated the Compact,
legislators reopened the contentious issue Tuesday with a
public hearing on how best to manage Maine's 17 million
acres of trees.
The Compact would have reduced the maximum size of
clearcuts statewide and established a permit process and
a voluntary audit program.
The Legislature's agriculture committee, which has 11
forest-related bills on its docket for next session,
barely was seated before the fireworks started.
Rep. Lois Snowe-Mello, who is sponsoring one of the
bills, chastised the panel for restricting testimony to
only five minutes, calling it an ``affront.'' The Poland
Republican, who is not a member of the panel, also
criticized her colleagues for holding its public hearing
before the Legislature meets next month.
``I think you ought to give people their just say and not
put a time limit on it,'' said Snowe-Mello, whose bill
would require authorities to obtain a search warrant
before entering private property to check for forest
violations.
Senate Chair Marge Kilkelly, D-Wiscasset, responded that
her committee has allotted 10 hours for testimony and
wanted to give as many people as possible a chance to
speak. She added it would be less distracting to hold the
hearing now, rather than during the busy session.
``We're making every effort we can to provide you with
every opportunity to provide us with your information,''
Kilkelly told about 100 people at the Augusta Elks Club.
The exchange was not an auspicious start to what many
expect will be a long and arduous undertaking: crafting a
forest management bill to satisfy the wide array of
interests present at the marathon hearing.
Big paper companies, small wood lot owners, private
property rights activists, environmentalists and just
regular citizens all lined up to have their say.
Some hand bills and stickers appearing in the audience
said, ``What part of No! don't you understand?'' They
referred to the votes against the Compact.
But others in the crowd wore stickers that proclaimed:
``The Maine Woods Can't Wait.''
Michael Good of Bar Harbor, a member of the Forest
Ecology Network, said new laws must be passed, such as
requiring that clearcutting be used only as a last
resort.
``Remember, the earth is our mother, and we're one with
the earth,'' Good said.
An angry James Robbins, vice president of Robbins Lumber
Inc. in Searsmont and president of the Maine Forest
Products Council, said he was ``sick and tired'' of his
industry being constantly criticized.
``I think about how we have always left our land open to
the public to let them hunt, fish, hike, camp for free,
and yet now, every year we have to fight off referendums
that, if passed, would put us out of business,'' said
Robbins, whose company owns 29,000 acres and employs 130
people.
Pat Lamarche of Yarmouth, who helped in the campaign
against the Compact because she said it didn't go far
enough, said she wanted to distinguish between the large
landowners and the smaller ones.
Aware that many property rights activists and small wood
lot owners distrust environmentalists like her, Lamarche
said her problem was with the 15 largest landowners in
Maine, the timber and paper companies.
``We're talking about two separate landowners, and that
should be kept in mind all the time,'' said Lamarche, a
member of FEN, whose director is clearcutting foe and
Maine Green Party leader Jonathan Carter.