Tennessee is experiencing a disproportionate ecological burden as a source
for the world’s timber consumption.
The United States Forest Service reports that more than two million
acres of Tennessee’s native forests were cut between 1989 and 1999, including
nearly 600 thousand acres of clear-cuts.
More than 500 thousand acres of forest were converted to other
uses between 1989 and 1999, and replanting has created more than 500 thousand
acres of non-native species pine plantations. Seventy-five percent of
these plantations were planted on land previously occupied by native forest
types.
Nearly all of Tennessee is
either globally (East and Plateau regions) or regionally (Central, West
Central, and West regions) outstanding based on species richness, species
uniqueness or global and regional rarity of habitat and forest types.
Unfortunately, nearly all of
the eco-regions of Tennessee are considered endangered based on the degree
of habitat loss already incurred. Tennessee already has lost 60 percent
of bottomland hardwood forests, 60-75 percent of cypress-tupelo forest in
West Tennessee, and 59 percent of the state’s wetlands.
In areas outside of our suburban
counties, the largest driver of loss and environmental damage to hardwood
forests are chip mills and plants that make paper and building panels from
chips. The chip, pulp and paper
industry uses unsustainable practices which
-
drives the increased cutting of hardwood
forests
-
requires thousands of acres be clear-cut
without regard to ecological
or environmental impacts
-
causes the conversion of hardwood forests
to monoculture pine plantations.
It
is long past time for the State to control the chip, pulp and paper industry
mills and unlimited and unregulated pulpwood harvesting.
We call on the legislature and the governor to develop policies commensurate
with their publicly expressed concern regarding clear-cutting and pine plantations.
