Joining Forces for the Forests

 Hades must be forecasting freeze conditions about now, at least that would seem to be the case when environmentalists and foresters actually come together in an effort to promote legislation to  improve federal forest management and forest and watershed health, and preserve habitats, all while saving and creating jobs in Oregon. Why the joining of forces, and why now? Because both sides are willing to admit that the forests are in severe crisis, and that only by working together for the greater good will the forests’ ecosystems and the communities that depend on them survive. This partnering began several months ago, ran into some brick walls, and had their bill proposal stall out last December in the Senate. Neither of these two groups are known as quitters though, and on January 27th the bill was reintroduced with a few revisions. While the new version of Senate Bill 220 won’t please everyone on both sides, something that’s nearly impossible to do in such an endeavor, it has been adjusted to reflect legitimate concerns from both sides. As U.S.Senator Ron Wyden states, “Keeping the forests healthy, translates into a healthy economy”.