Houston Regional Group - News

May 2002 Forestry Notes

Brandt Mannchen

1) The Houston Sierra Club (HSC) appealed a decision by Sam Houston National Forest in February to log and build roads in Compartments 28 and 37, which are on the shoreline of Lake Conroe. The logging will further reduce the number and kinds of hardwoods in our forest. Already 80-90% of the largest trees where logging will occur are Loblolly or Shortleaf Pines. Previous logging, burning, and roading has decimated the natural upland, slope, and streamside hardwoods. The logging is being conducted under the guise of creating habitat for the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker. However, the U.S. Forest Service (FS) has failed to conduct inventorying and monitoring as required by law for other rare and sensitive species and is not able assess their populations and how they will be impacted by logging. The HSC recommended an alternative that would have restored ecosystem health by increasing hardwoods while reducing the threat of southern pine beetle which attacks pine trees. The Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Forest Conservation Council, and the Texas Committee on Natural Resources joined in the appeal with the HSC. A decision on the appeal is expected in next several months.

2) The HSC wrote a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman requesting that she rescind a decision made by Sam Houston National Forest to allow drilling of 12 oil wells without the required National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis, assessment, evaluation, and public comment period. The FS stated the drilling was for private mineral rights and that it must allow access. The FS arbitrarily made the decision that there was no major federal action that triggered NEPA requirements. The HSC reminded Secretary Veneman that the FS makes at least two decisions that trigger NEPA. The first is whether the drilling will cause so much damage to the public’s forest that condemnation of the mineral rights is required. The second decision that the FS makes is that it negotiates and signs an agreement with the driller, called a “Special Use Permit,” which restricts the time, place, and manner of the drilling to protect the public’s forest. The FS did not allow the HSC to appeal this decision to a higher FS authority. The HSC believes this action is illegal and that an appeal must be allowed.

3) The HSC wrote another letter to Secretary Ann Veneman requesting that she overturn a decision made by Sam Houston National Forest. The FS proposed burning 8 compartments (about 8,000 acres). Areas to be burned included streamside forests, potential Future Old Growth Forests, and the Lone Star Hiking Trail, a designated National Recreation Trail. These sensitive areas should not be burned. The streamside and Future Old Growth Forests rarely burned naturally. The FS purposely back-burns (burning into the wind) these sensitive areas and alters the natural moist soil vegetation so it can grow pine farms. The FS claims burning is needed to protect forest health However scientific research shows that increased numbers of hardwoods protects forest health. The burning will decrease the number of hardwoods. The FS did not allow the HSC to appeal this decision to a higher FS authority. The HSC believes this action is illegal and that an appeal must be allowed.

For more information about these actions contact Brandt Mannchen at H713-664-5962 or W713-640-4313. If you would like to protest these actions contact Mr. Ronnie Raum, Forest Supervisor, National Forests & Grasslands in Texas, 701 N. First St., Lufkin, Texas 79501.

May 2002

Last updated:  10/02/2005.   Content © 1999-2001 by the Sierra Club.