TIMBER SALES AT ISSUE DURING FOREST HEARING

A plan to reduce timber production at Shawnee National Forest was the main point of contention Wednesday at a Cape Girardeau public meeting.

The meeting was sponsored by the Jonesboro Ranger District of the Shawnee National Forest to get local reactions to a proposed amendment of the forest's Land and Resource Management Plan.

The proposed amendment deals with six different areas that effect the Southern Illinois forest. But of the six areas, only timber sales garnered the attention of the approximately 65 people at the meeting.

Critics said a reduction in timber production at the forest would cost Southern Illinois jobs and loss in timber sales.

Tom Neal, a forester at Shawnee, said that if the amendment passes this winter, the amount of Allowable Sale Quantity (ASQ) will be reduced from 12.5 million to 4.3 million board feet per year.

Neal said the reduction will help save forest operating costs.

"The program we have at Shawnee for timber sales loses between $500,000 to $1 million each year it's in operation," he said.

"The proposed amended plan would return a profit to the timber sales program because it will only include the sale of high-quality hardwood trees and exclude the sale of pine and pin oak which loses money for the forest."

But the prospect of less timber acreage available for production prompted some at the meeting to protest the plan.

Jim Johnson, a sawmill owner from Jonesboro, Ill. said the proposal would only hurt area sawmills already suffering economic hardship.

"When those acres aren't available," said Johnson, "the other mills in the area beat themselves to death trying to make a living."

Johnson said he thinks the reduction will result in the loss of 400 to 500 jobs in the Southern Illinois timber industry.

"It's really difficult right now to make it," he said. "There are three mills that I know of that have gone out of business in the area and more will follow.

"As it looks right now, I might have to scale down my operation."

Johnson said that he expects to sell only five million board feet this year, which is a two million drop less than last year's production. Johnson also said he might have to reduce his staff from 25 people to 20.

But Neal said he is more concerned with the economy of the entire region.

"What we really want to do with this plan is to get the best available mix of all resources in the area to be successful and profitable," Neal said. "We based this plan on past comments we got from people and what they wanted to see done with the forest.

"I do feel that this plan will not easily make everyone in the area happy but we will try to work something out that will incorporate everybody's needs for the next 10 to 15 years."

Other facets of the proposed amendment deal with the forest's biodiversity; wilderness; wild and scenic rivers; oil, gas and mineral leasing; roads and trails; and recreation and tourism.

This was the first of two meetings the Jonesboro Ranger District will hold in the area. A second meeting is scheduled for July 2 from 7-9 p.m. at the Sunshine Inn at Anna, Ill.

The forest still is accepting written remarks from the public concerning the proposed amendment. Remarks are to be sent to Rodney K. Sallee, forest supervisor at Shawnee National Forest in Harrisburg, Ill. The deadline is Aug. 15.

Mary Mumford, a district ranger at Jonesboro, said she was pleased with the number of people who attended Wednesday's meeting. She encouraged the public to write their views down and send them so the forest could best serve the public.