Although we've spent much of the last few classes discussing the practices of early logging companies and their effects on the Adirondacks, we haven't really mentioned modern timber operations in the Park and how they affect and are affected by legislation and subsequently the land that the laws are designed to protect. Before the creation of the Adirondack Park, the destruction of the forest was a major concern. The Forest Preserve was formed, in part, to protect the land from overzealous industries that wished to harvest its resources from financial gain, but much of the Adirondack Park continues to be privately owned. While privately owned lands within the Park are highly regulated, there are many logging companies that continue to harvest trees for pulp and timber. The patchwork quilt of private and public lands within the Blue Line and the tightly regulated nature of the Adirondack Park create an interesting example of the effects that legislation can have on public and private land and the people who enjoy and use the Adirondacks in various capacities.
The earliest logging operations in the Park were unsustainable as they frequently employed clear-cutting techniques and were limited in location, at least in the beginning, to the areas surrounding rivers and other reliable methods of travel, so that the timber could be transported to markets. The widespread use of these practices led to a drastic decline in virgin forests, which today make up less than 20% of the 6 million acres in the Adirondack Park. While logging practices have changed and more land is now protected as "forever wild," the harvesting of wood for timber and pulp is still a major industry within the Blue Line. In 2012, the Adirondack Park Agency introduced the idea of a new permit system that would allow landowners certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Forest Initiative to obtain a permit to clear-cut sections of land up to 120 acres in size as opposed to the previous limit of 25 acres (APA General Permit 2012 G-1). Though the APA pulled the controversial proposal, the idea of allowing large land tracts to be clear cut raises ethical questions as to the proper use of the Park's resources.
The proposal was unsurprisingly favored by logging companies, who would have a streamlined approach to acquiring clear-cut permits and could drastically increase their efficiency in harvesting large amounts of timber and pulp. Clearcutting also provides a habitat for certain plants and animals that thrive in a younger forest ecosystem. However, clearcutting can have serious environmental consequences such as long-term changes in species composition, increased runoff, and topsoil depletion. Moreover, clearcutting can have a dramatic effect on the aesthetics of the land, which could anger residents and local landowners, in addition to potential effects on tourism. Although the land that would be clearcut is privately owned, the patchwork nature of the Adirondack Park amplifies the environmental and aesthetic effects of resource harvesting. In today's heavily Adirondack Park conflict is a major component of all aspects of life within the Blue Line, and the logging industry is no exception.
Sources:
http://apa.ny.gov/about_park/history.htm
http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/21415/20130208/clear-cut-logging-debate-looms-in-adirondacks
http://apa.ny.gov/Mailing/2013/02/Regulatory/P2012-G1-20130207-DMS01-O-FrevisedSilvicutlureGPPermit.pdf
http://apa.ny.gov/Press/_assets/ADPress-20121220-KPM-PR-F-SilviculturalGeneralPermitQAFina_1.pdf
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/29/nyregion/29adirondacks.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
http://www.timberdoodle.org/demo/lyme-adirondack-forest-company-adirondack-park-new-york
http://www.clemson.edu/extfor/publications/fortp19/vegetation.htm
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