Timber industry favorites use forest health as an excuse to poach already designated Biden ARPA dollars

It was Standard Operating Procedure at the Republican dominated South Dakota Legislature as lawmakers talked about forest health as they deferred Senate Bill 134 which would redirect already designated American Rescue Plan Act money to create the healthy forest critical infrastructure relief and grant program, and to declare an emergency.

Deferred not because there wasn’t support, there was resounding support, but because there were a couple of amendments.

The number of proponents in attendance, all business interests, asking for the Biden ARPA dollars seemed to be unaware that these funds have already been allocated for water and waste-water projects across the state, but not one expressed concern about poaching the money from those other projects. In fact, they doubled-down on their defense of the emergency allocation redirection request by saying that forest health is a water project, without talking at all about what makes healthy forests or unhealthy forests.

Roger Tellinghuisen the lobbyist for the Deadwood Gaming Association spoke in favor of healthy forests by saying “without those visitors our business wouldn’t exist, without the trees our business wouldn’t get visitors.

Gary Wadsworth the Public Policy Director from Elevate Rapid City said that the timber and wood manufacturing sector contribute $160-million dollars for a six county region, not including the visitor industry and jobs and jobs spending. “There are very few industries in the state that provide this kind of economic benefit and value.” No mention of the environmental cost to the public which the Sierra Club says includes soil loss, erosion, and increased frequency of erosion events.

Ben Wudtke from the Black Hills Forest Resource Association in Rapid City, which positions itself as a non-profit trade association of forest products manufacturers, timber harvesters and concerned citizens for responsible management, mentioned the devastating impact from the mountain pine beetle but not on forest health. Instead, he explained how the epidemic has impacted the members of his organization – loggers, log haulers, forest products companies. “The unfortunate fact is that those companies are facing incredible financial hardships right now. In part, because of the COVID pandemic.”

Wudtke apparently wasn’t aware that the state of South Dakota declared COVID a “hoax” and did not shut-down. But there was a global slow-down caused by the pandemic which was also blamed for the Hill City mill closure. Wudtke talked about the restrictions which created delays and a dramatic fall in production. But no talk of how this will create a healthy forest.

The Mayor of Spearfish said that the Spearfish mill owned by the Neiman family is an economic driver for his town. He said the family had invested $20 million dollars to upgrade equipment but failed to explain how that helps the health of the forest. He talked about the millions of dollars the industry brings to the economy but didn’t talk about the environmental costs in dollars that the community has to absorb. Those costs in the past have been significant and will be even more so in a state the doesn’t want to regulate any industry.

The past chairman of the Trucking Association, Robert Christian also in support of the forest health bill warned that the timber industry won’t be around much longer if rates of harvest keep decreasing. And to prove his commitment to forest health he said “the logging industry is much like the farmer, we only wish to protect and beautify our forest for future generations.”

Opponents of the bill were greatly outnumbered. Gary Larson from the Sierra Club said passage of this bill would put additional pressure on “an ecosystem that is already stressed to the breaking point. We view forests as a renewable resource but at some point they have to be allowed to renew.”

Paul Lepisto from the Izaac Walton League didn’t dispute the difficulties of the timber industry, but said they’re trying to use funds that have already been allocated for domestic water and waste-water projects.

Jim Terwilliger from Bureau and Finance Office said that the forest industry did not come forward through the legislative process to say that they were impacted by COVID and questioned eligibility. But a lobbyist for Neiman Enterprises said a business qualifies if your industry has been harmed to an equal degree as the specified industries

Terwilliger also said that there’s 270-million dollars in appropriations going after about 130 million dollars that’s available. He also said that the Department of Ag and Natural Resources doesn’t have the resources or the staff to set up and manage a new grant program.

Senator Helene Duhamel moved to pass the bill to appropriations with a favorable recommendation. She too had nothing to say about forest health except that water and forests go together. Instead of citing experts, Duhamel recalled in the 1990’s when the water levels in Pactola were low and then there was timber sale “and immediately the water came up after the sale.” Not a mention of the drilling that was occurring in the 1990’s.

The timber industry itself has been in decline for decades, long before the pine beetle was killing trees. Some of it blamed on the housing market, according to a 2012 article from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.

Forest health has been the last thing on the minds of the industry using the resources of our small forest for 150 years with absolutely no meaningful sustainable plan. The pine beetle epidemic was predicted but South Dakota officials were very slow to respond. Republican denial of climate change and its impacts on drought, fire, bugs, forest and tree health delayed any action plans. As did GOP policies of attrition. Experts predicted the wildfire season would expand, it would start earlier and end later, wildfires would burn hotter and eventually the season would extend year-round. Those predictions all came true, while South Dakota officials denied them and even championed reducing wildfire mitigation funding.

(Contact Marnie Cook at staffwriter@nativesunnews.today)

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