Seattle Activists Sueing To Stop Logging

An environmental group has sued to block logging on 50,000
acres of private timberland, arguing the state's population of
northern spotted owls has been reduced by half since the
1990s.

The Seattle Audubon Society sued last week in federal court,
asking U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman to bar logging on
private timberlands west of the Cascades.


The Seattle group, joined by the Kittitas Audubon Society,
said state rules “offer no meaningful protection'' for the owls
outside 13 “special emphasis'' areas where the state offers
specific protections.

The lawsuit could be important if the plaintiffs can show that
the state's rules violate the Endangered Species Act.
Spotted owls have been declining about 7 percent per year in
Washington, far faster than in Oregon and California.

The lawsuit targets four sites owned by Weyerhaeuser Co. in s
outhwest Washington where spotted owls have been seen,
citing them as examples of sites where the court should order
the state Forest Practices Board to ban logging.


SOURCE:
LiveScience.com

I'm glad that something is being done to protect not just the
spotted owl but the forests as well.
I hope the group wins the suit.

As it is I can't figure out why logging is'nt completely illegal,
I mean it's not like we need the wood to build houses, and
it's not a large power source.


Comments, Opinions?

[edit on 11/15/2006 by iori_komei]

Originally posted by iori_komei

As it is I can't figure out why logging is'nt completely illegal,
I mean it's not like we need the wood to build houses, and
it's not a large power source.

We need to do more logging, not less. Properly done, logging is healthy for the forest and the total environment. This is an established scientific FACT that is not in dispute by any reputable or knowledgeable person.

Wood frame homes have less of an environmental footprint and consume less energy over their lifespan than any other building material.