Audubon Views and Actions on Chip Mills
Missouri Links National Audubon Society LinksMissouri Audubon Council Comments at DNR NPDES Hearing on 1/12/99Good evening, and thank you for the opportunity to address the DNR in relation to re-issuing of a permit to Williamette Industries. My name is Mike Doyen and I am the Chairperson for the Missouri Audubon Council. We represent over 10,000 Audubon members state-wide, and we have a number of serious concerns pertaining to the issuing of a Water Pollution Permit to Willamette Industries, in Mill Springs, MO.
I will follow up my comments with a written statement of concern.
Thank You.
Cutting of timber from the Missouri Ozark forests for commercial purposes began in the 1860's. Cutting peaked between 1900 and 1910. Large lumber companies operated on a "cut-out and get-out policy"; when the timber was gone, the companies left.
A sawmill at Grandin, said to be the largest in the state and probably in the country, was closing in 1910 as the supply of timber began to run out. Missouri’s forests were left in ruins. "Had the cutting been selective, the land would have regained its value, but the young trees were destroyed in getting out the older ones, and the hills, when the big operations ceased, were all but stripped of their cover," according to the Works Progress Administration’s 1960's Guidebook to Missouri. By the mid-1930's, soil erosion had seriously affected 34 million of Missouri’s 44 million acres.
An oak-hickory forest requires 70 to 80 years to recover from such devastation, so those who grew up in the 30's are only now seeing the fruits of the efforts at soil conservation and good forest management initiated during those earlier years.
Now we are faced with another threat--the proliferation of high capacity chip mills that satisfy the demand for paper, particle board, rayon, and other products. Some 140 such operations in the southeastern states have led to increased clearcutting, damaging forests and causing increased soil erosion and loss of wildlife habitat. Already 2 such chip mills are operating in Missouri, and some timber is being shipped to chip mills in Arkansas and elsewhere.
This past January the Missouri Audubon Council gave its highest priority to opposing high capacity chip mills and the threat they pose to our state forests. The Missouri Coalition for the Environment, Sierra Club, Nature Conservancy, and other groups are equally concerned.
St. Louis Audubon and the Missouri Audubon Council joined other groups in testifying for a bill before the General Assembly that called for a moratorium on new chip mill operations until a study of their environmental impact could be conducted. That bill did not get beyond the hearing stage, but it did bring the subject out in the open for further discussion. On Lobby Day, April 22, St. Louis Audubon and the Missouri Audubon Council were represented by a group who met with Brad Ketcher, Governor Carnahan’s Chief of Staff, to discuss the chip mill issue, among others.
Tom Uhlenbrock’s article in the Post-Dispatch for Sunday, May 31, provided a dramatic illustration of the differences between clearcutting and good forest management, such as that promoted by Leo Drey on his Pioneer Forest lands. Good forest management practices pay off in the long run, but one problem is that the average tenure for land ownership in the Missouri Ozarks seems to be about 7 years. Short-term owners are tempted to look for the short-term profits promised by clearcutting.
As this article is being written, there is hope that Governor Carnahan will call for a moratorium on permits for new chip mills until an environmental study can be completed. Steve Mahfood, director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, is said to be recommending that action. The Missouri Department of Conservation seems to be on the fence; its ecology committee is said to have recommended the moratorium while the forestry committee is said to oppose it. The Department met for a review of its policies on Friday, May 29, but the results are not yet known. Speaker Gaw in the Missouri House is said to favor an environmental study.
Missouri Audubon members should take a particular interest in this issue. In recent years, there has been concern over the decline in many songbirds, particularly for many of the neotropical migrants that winter in Central or South America and breed in North America. Forest-loving birds that need deep forest cover for protection from cowbirds and predators suffer when the forests are fragmented, allowing these parasites and predators access to their nesting sites. For instance, the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois is said to be so fragmented that the breeding success of many migrants is so low that the birds are far from able to reproduce themselves. It is hypothesized that many of the birds found breeding there were fledged in the Central Ozarks. If we allow the Ozarks to become fragmented, what viable nesting habitat will remain for these birds?
by Jim Holsen, President, St. Louis Audubon Society
May 24, 1998
Governor Mel Carnahan
State Capitol Building, Room 216
Jefferson City, MO 65102
Dear Governor Carnahan,
High capacity chip mills, and the associated large scale logging activities required to support them, can potentially have major and long term impacts on Missouri's forests and their soil, water quality and habitat resources.
High capacity chip mills are a new form of industrial activity not experienced in Missouri's Ozark forests since the massive clearcutting in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I believe that these mills threaten the long term health and the sustainable use of Missouri's forest resources and the wildlife and human and communities which depend on them.
Chip mills and their associated logging operations should be required to conduct stream monitoring to assure that there is no deterioration of water quality. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the Missouri Department of Conservation should conduct rigorous oversight of this monitoring. These Departments should be given the statutory authority and the resources to prevent deterioration of water quality due to chip mill operations and the associated large scale logging.
I urge you to establish a commission to study the environmental and economic impact of chip mills in Missouri. This commission should be broad enough in scope to include: legislators, environmentalists, concerned citizens, the wood products industry, representatives of the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Conservation. It is my hope that this Commission could study the effect of chip mills on the state, citizens, wildlife and natural resources, and submit its findings to the General Assembly. I believe that it will require at least a year for a meaningful study to be completed.
I am concerned about high capacity chip mills causing extensive damage in Missouri before a comprehensive study can be completed. For this reason I believe that you should declare a moratorium on new state permits for high capacity chip mills until the study is completed.
Thank you for interest in this issue which is so mportant to the future of all Missourians.
Sincerely yours,
David E. Bedan, Conservation Chair
River Bluffs Audubon Society
Mr. Steve Mahfood, MDNR
Mr. Jerry Conley, MDC
Representatives of the Missouri Audubon Council (Scott Penman, River Bluffs Chapter member Dave Bedan, St. Louis Audubon Society Chapter President Jim Holsen), the Ozark Chapter of the Sierra Club (Ken Midkiff, Program Director) and the Missouri Coalition for the Environment (Pat Waterston, President; Roger Pryor, Senior Policy Director and Yvonne M. Homeyer) met with Brad Ketcher, Chief of Staff for the Governor on Earth day, April 22. The meeting provided environmental advocates the opportunity to voice concerns surrounding high capacity chip mill operations to the Executive Branch of Missouri government. Information relayed to Mr. Ketcher was similar to the contents of HB 1883. Advocates stressed the need for a study on the issue and a moratorium on the issuance of permits for these mills until a study can be completed.
Mr. Ketcher¹s interest in the subject, along with earlier reports, suggest that the Governor is likely to designate a study or commission to look at this issue and its' potential effect on Missouri. We will continue to keep you updated on the progress of our efforts.
In response to this recent meeting, we are requesting that Thank You letters be sent to the Governor¹s office for his interest and to encourage a Study or Commission on the issue of chip mills.
The bill that was filed on chip mills (HB 1883) is not expected to advance any further this session. However, by introducing this subject to legislators, we have begun the educational process on this topic.
FOLLOW UP LETTERS NEEDED!We are requesting that letters be sent to the Governor as a follow up to the meeting that took place on April 22. Please be sure to include the following in your letter:
Letters should be sent to:
Governor Mel Carnahan
State Capitol Building - Room 216
Jefferson City, MO 65102
Good Afternoon Chairman McBride and members of the committee. Thank you for this opportunity to address you on HB 1883.
My Name is David Bedan and I am speaking for the Missouri Audubon Council which represents 14 chapters of the National Audubon Society in Missouri and its approximately 9,000 members. Our mission is to is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, especially the habitat of birds and other wildlife.
High capacity chip mills and the associated large scale logging activities to support them can potentially have major and long term impacts on Missouri's forests and their soil, water and habitat resources. We are especially concerned about the destruction of habitat and soil erosion problems caused by chip mill facilities and their associated activities.
Chip mills and their associated logging operations should be required to conduct stream monitoring to assure that there is no deterioration of water quality. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the Missouri Department of Conservation should conduct rigorous oversight of this monitoring. These Departments should be given the authority to prevent deterioration of water quality due to chip mill operations and associated large scale logging.
High capacity chip mills are a new form of industrial activity never before experienced in Missouri's forests. The River Bluffs Audubon Society believes that these mills threaten the long term health and the sustainable use of Missouri's forest resources and the wildlife and human and communities which depend on them.
The Missouri Audubon Council supports HB 1883 including its provision for a study of the potential economic and environmental impact of chip mills and a moratorium on new permits for chip mills in Missouri while the study is being conducted. However, we believe that it will require at least a year to perform an adequate study. The bill should be amended to require that the study be completed and sent to the Governor and the General assembly by December 31, 1999.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment.
Return to topMy Name is David Bedan and I am representing the River Bluffs Audubon Society which consists of approximately 300 members of the National Audubon Society in central Missouri. Our mission is to is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, especially the habitat of birds and other wildlife.
1. High capacity chip mills can potentially have major and long term impacts on Missouri's forests and their soil, water and habitat resources.
2. River Bluffs Audubon supports establishing a new stormwater permit category for Lumber and Wood Products manufacture. The establishment of individual facility permits is very important since there are currently few permit requirements for high capacity chip mills.
3. We support requiring processors of over 15,000 tons annually to apply for a individual site-specific permit.
4. We believe that the public notice requirement that goes with an individual permit application is beneficial to the public and, since the General Stormwater permits do not require public notice, they are inadequate in this regard.
5. We are also concerned about the associated soil erosion problems caused by chip mill facilities and their associated activities. Chip mills and their associated logging operations should be required to conduct stream monitoring to assure no deterioration of water quality. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the Missouri Department of Conservation should conduct rigorous oversight of this monitoring.
6. High capacity chip mills are a new form of industrial activity never before experienced in Missouri's forests. The River Bluffs Audubon Society believes that these mills threaten the long term sustainable use of Missouri's forest resources. If the Missouri Departments of Natural Resources and Conservation do not currently have adequate authority to monitor and control the impact of chip mills, the Governor should propose legislation for such purposes. We support a moratorium on new permits for chip mills and a two year study of the potential economic and environmental impact of chip mills in Missouri.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment. Please keep us informed of your decisions on this issue.
Return to topHigh-capacity chip mills are coming to Missouri. One is scheduled to begin operating in southeast Missouri this spring; several others are proposed. All Audubon members should take an interest in the environmental effects of chip mills and associated logging.
In other states, chip mills have led to 1.2 million acres being deforested each year (see the "Whittling Dixie" article in the November-December, 1997, issue of Audubon magazine). Most of the damage to forest ecosystems in other states has occurred from unrestrained logging rather than the chip mill facilities. In general, logging is not regulated except on public lands, so private landowners can harvest timber as they wish. Theoretically, private landowners can prolong their economic well-being by harvesting their trees in a manner that can be continued indefinitely. By doing selective cutting, landowners can also provide wildlife habitat and help maintain good water quality, both of which are particularly important to many rural landowners.
In a best case scenario, chip mills could actually help conserve Missouri's forest ecosystems because landowners would make some money from harvesting less desirable trees, which would make conversion of forested acres to grazing land less financially attractive. In addition, the case can be made that limited clearcutting can benefit certain birds, such as ruffed grouse, and other species which require open clearings.
Of course, there is also a worst case scenario in which the Ozarks could be largely clearcut in a short period of time. Certain facts make one feat the worst: so many acres in other states have already been stripped to provide chips for paper; the great majority of Missouri landowners do not use forestry professionals (not even free services) in determining how their lands should be logged; there is no professional certification for loggers; there no requirements for chip mills to purchase their logs from loggers that use "best management practices"; there is no provision for monitoring the environmental effects of chip mills. Estimating the potential impacts of chip mills also involves other fundamental issues. Landowners have rights. Government should not intrude. All of us agree with these principles. But what happens when a Texas corporation buys 800 acres of Missouri woods, clearcuts the whole tract, and sells it at a loss (which probably helps on taxes). What happens when people sell property because they cannot afford the estate taxes? What happens when a poorer Missouri resident has to choose between logging or eating? In other states, the end result of high-capacity chip mills has all too often been a quick profit for a large corporation--and loss of forests, long-term loss of jobs in wood products industries, loss of wildlife habitat, and loss of good water quality from erosion.
We don't want this to happen in Missouri. The River Bluffs Audubon Society Board of Directors has already sent letters to our state's Senators and Governor Mel Carnahan asking for a temporary moratorium on chip mill permits, and asking that environmental studies on chip mills be completed. As an individual you can also make a difference. Stay tuned to legislative proposals. Contact your elected officials. Write letters and send e-mails. Make up your own mind what should be done and invest your time. This issue could certainly change the Ozarks in your lifetime.
-- Celeste Koon (reprinted from the January '98 issue of Timberdoodle, newsletter of the River Bluffs Audubon Society)A new conservation and environmental issue has surfaced in Missouri that deserves our study and serious consideration. At least two companies plan to build and operate chip mills in southern Missouri. These mills chip up timber to feed large paper mills in other areas of the United States. In sufficient numbers, chip mills have the potential to consume large amounts of Missouri timber. They bring with them questions and potential concerns about forestry management practices, effect on wildlife habitat, and impacts on watersheds and stream quality.
Willamette Industries was the first company to propose a chip mill in Missouri, and the company's plant is under construction in Wayne County. The mill will supply Willamette's Kentucky paper plant with raw materials for paper production. Other companies have expressed interest in building mills.
The Missouri Audubon Council members, at their October meeting, expressed concern about the chip mill operations and wrote letters to the Natural Resources and Conservation departments. The letters call upon these agencies, as stewards of Missouri resources, to work to ensure proper logging practices that protect the integrity of Missouri's environment. The Audubon Council believes the chip mills potentially encompass much more than the simple question of whether we have enough hardwood forests in Missouri to support the chip mill industry. Logging practices may affect erosion, stormwater runoff, watersheds, and bird habitat.
The Conservation Federation board also has focused attention on this subject by appointing a special committee to examine the issue. In August, this Conservation Federation committee asked several people to give their perspectives on the chip mills. Following is my best attempt to reflect the comments made to the committee.
Steve Galliher from Willamette Industries said no trees will be harvested for the sole purpose of feeding the chip mill. Instead, he said the company will buy "waste" timber left over from logging operations and waste slabs from sawmills. During regular logging operations in southern Missouri, 61 percent of the timber is large enough to take to sawmills; 39 percent is left on the ground (Department of Conservation statistics). For its chip mill, Willamette wants to buy the timber that would be left behind to decompose on the forest floor for the chip mill. Slabs are the slices of wood remaining after a sawmill squares off the wood to be turned into lumber. The chip mill also will buy these waste slabs. (The charcoal industry now buys most of these slabs).
In addition to buying timber from local loggers and sawmills, Willamette has purchased 26,000 acres of its own. Galliher said the company will harvest the property by clearcutting in 40-acre sections. Trees large enough to convert to lumber will be sold to sawmills; the remainder will be chipped at the mill.
The mill would produce about 300,000 tons of chips each year. It would employ six people, create about 50 associated jobs in the area timber industry and infuse $15 million into the local economy.
Christine England, a forester with the Mark Twain National Forest, said the chip mill would help the national forest use waste timber left on the ground during logging. This timber may be too small in diameter, bent, or rotted -- all of which makes it undesirable for sawmills.
Shelby Jones, Department of Conservation, reported there are plenty of trees within a 50-mile radius of the Willamette chip mill to allow operation without troubling loss of forest land. He acknowledged that clearcutting creates more forest edge. Jones did not know whether and how the chip mill and associated logging practices may affect erosion, runoff, and stream quality.
Dr. John Dwyer, University of Missouri, indicated the chip industry has the potential to improve Missouri forests by removing inferior trees, which helps optimize growth. He was, however, emphatic that loggers and private landowners must be trained to carry out proper forest management practices. He spoke about the importance of having professional foresters involved in advising landowners about proper forest management, and he spoke about the ethical obligation of Willamette and similar companies to help accomplish these goals.
The Conservation Federation committee has issued its report, which calls on involved parties to establish voluntary measures that will help avoid environmental problems that may accompany the chip mill industry. These voluntary programs include an education program to inform loggers and landowners about proper forestry management practices. There was general agreement that companies, such as Willamette, must help encourage these good forestry practices through a variety of means that might include premium prices for timber harvested according to best forestry management practices. The Conservation Federation board has not yet taken an official position on the chip mill issue.
A Look at Chip Mills in Other States
Tennessee: Companies operating chip mills in Tennessee requested permits from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to construct a chip mill and barge terminals on TVA land. The Fish and Wildlife Service concluded construction of the mills and resulting increase in area timber harvests would jeopardize the existence of 17 endangered and threatened species and result in critical habitat loss for three species. The report notes, however, that the same problems could occur eventually under existing harvesting levels. The report says timber harvest would cause stream changes, though it says most detrimental effects could be avoided with proper management techniques. TVA decided to deny all the requests.
Arkansas: The Arkansas Forestry Commission recently sponsored a study. The foresters concluded the chip mills in Arkansas (two existing with a third to begin operation soon) could increase harvests by 34 percent in the area near the mills, but they do not anticipate any serious overall loss of forest land. They do, however, express deep concern about species diversity. The chip mills want oak.
This study also pointed out the need for landowner education and the responsibility of the companies to make sure environmentally sound practices are followed.
Alabama: A 24-page Sunday supplement to the Mobile Register (October 27, 1996) outlined the extensive loss of diverse forest lands, due in part to the operation of 16 chip mills. Timber harvests in Alabama and several other southern states far outstrip regrowth. Although significant re-planting takes place, the diverse natural forests are being replaced with single-species forests that are harvested again before the trees grow to maturity. The Alabama experience, however, may not be analogous to Missouri because the targeted tree species differ from Missouri.
- Anita Randolph, Representative from the River Bluffs Audubon Society to the Missouri Audubon Council
(Editor's note: this article was written in October 1997 and
was originally published in the December 1997 issue of The
Bluebird, the quarterly magazine of the Audubon Society of
Missouri.)
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