On paper, this region is blessed with a pioneering 2 million-acre forest restoration plan that is a model for the rest of the nation.
But in reality, there is little to show yet for all the effort that has gone into the Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI). More than a half-dozen years of coalition-building, environmental impact reports, RFPs and contract awards have produced barely 5,000 acres of thinning. And despite assurances from the new primary contractor that lost ground will soon be made up, it doesn’t look as though 4FRI will be turning the corner anytime soon.
As we report today, there’s a disconnect between what the contractor, Good Earth Power AZ, is promising and what the experts say can reasonably and responsibly be delivered. A new $80 million lumber mill, for example, is supposed to be built and start operation by May 2017 when some say the project will likely take three years – and GEP AZ has yet to file for a permit to start building.
There are also doubts about whether a traditional lumber mill is needed for small-diameter trees. And once the accelerated thinning begins to allow GEP AZ to catch up, it will be much more intense than conservation groups in the coalition have agreed to.
The Forest Service recognizes the delay and has agreed to put in $10 million a year for the next decade to bring other forest contractors on board. But without a mill, it is uncertain what the loggers will be doing with the wood they harvest.
From the Arizona Daily Sun: https://azdailysun.com/news/opinion/editorial/fri-contractor-needs-more-forest-service-oversight/article_3eb1d420-416e-5e9f-862e-927aa99aadb3.html