[MCN] BARK: An Important Lesson from Montana

[Matthew Koehler]

*From:* Brenna Bell, Bark
*Sent:* Wednesday, July 13, 2016 3:12 PM
*Subject:* An Important Lesson from Montana



*Want to know what really happened to all those timber industry jobs?*

[image: Bark: Defenders of Mt. Hood]

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explore mt hood national forest every second sunday!
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Dear Brenna,

You may have heard the news from Montana: eight months after timber giant
Weyerhauser purchased Plum Creek Timber Company, Inc for $8 billion it
announced that it would close two mills and lay off 230 workers.

Immediately after Weyerhauser made its announcement, Montana’s U.S. Senator
Steve Daines released the following statement
<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=WmoIP%2BiqeHr%2BFdKHIbMRxgGN1e40AoNP>:


“This is devastating news to the Columbia Falls community and the
hardworking families who relied upon these good-paying jobs. This
underscores the importance to urgently pass forest reform legislation to
get Montana’s abundance of logs to our mills and keep good-paying jobs in
our state. *I will not sit idly by and watch Montana jobs disappear and
families suffer as a result of frivolous lawsuits by fringe
environmentalists and excessive regulations*.”

We’ve heard these accusations before, but this time there is a very stark
disconnect between rhetoric and reality: *Weyerhauser does not use logs
from National Forests*. As the largest private landowner in the United
States, it does not need them and even if it wanted to log public lands it
can't, because the company exports raw logs.

Weyerhauser’s mill closures have nothing to do with environmental
regulations on federal lands, and everything to do with the changing
international m
<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=RrFyBmIpVEUx7kEFqqA39AGN1e40AoNP>
arket
<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=CtcmtHAavS1WtD4mHR1pggGN1e40AoNP>
for wood products.

Senator Daines is manipulating the facts to forward his political goal of
increasing logging on our federal public lands. *In reality, the downturn
of the housing market, mechanization of the timber industry, and upsurge of
log exports, are the major causes of timber job losses.*

Even when the amount of timber logged is on the rise in Oregon, the number
of jobs is still declining. For example, in 2014, the amount of trees
logged in Benton County was the same as in 1985. In 1985, this supported
1,300 jobs.  Now, it only supports 500
<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=3c8uRNDaz%2FLTmEy2mkXckgGN1e40AoNP>.


If as many people were employed with the same amount of timber logged in
Oregon in 2013 as in 2000, there would be almost 20,000 more jobs
<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=48vFnmi9NAUZDcR29GyOYAGN1e40AoNP>
without increasing the volume of timber cut. However, more employees means
less profit, and it is in the best interest of the timber industry to put
the blame elsewhere – like on those “fringe environmentalists.”

Montana's U.S. Senator Daines is willing to tell lies for the timber
industry--our U.S. Senators and Representatives need to know that it is
unacceptable for them to do the same. *Please take a moment to **tell
Oregon’s congressional delegation the truth*
<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=aF3hZM4TUmPYokEJTBafPgGN1e40AoNP>*:
gutting environmental regulations on public lands will not bring back
timber industry jobs!*

As we sympathize with those who have lost their jobs in Montana, we refuse
to let their loss be exploited for political favors to the timber industry.

Sincerely,

 Brenna Bell, Staff Attorney/NEPA Coordinator


PS- Have you heard about the Republican Platform Committee's recent
position to dissolve federal land ownership and give public lands to the
States? Visit Bark's Facebook page for the full story
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.



*Photo credit: Yahoo public domain photo search
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3074/2614558438_f5cd532d92_z.jpg?zz=1
<https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3074/2614558438_f5cd532d92_z.jpg?zz=1>.*

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