Environmental Groups Demand Immediate Moratorium On New Chip Mills

An environmental coalition today called on Governor Hunt and legislators to impose an immediate moratorium on new or expanded woodchip mills until new forest policies are adopted to ensure long-term sustainability of North Carolina’s 19 million acres of woodlands. The groups are also urging lawmakers to repeal immediately a tax credit that promotes the export of tons of woodchips overseas each year.

The groups’ requests were prompted by the release this week of the final draft of a two-year study of the environmental impacts of woodchip production, conducted by the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources in conjunction with NC State University and Duke University researchers. The study confirms that the rate of timber harvests in NC is rapidly reaching unsustainable levels and that the proliferation of high capacity chip mills over the last decade is contributing to the increase in timber harvest rates. The study also predicts that between 1990 and 2020, about 1.2 million acres of natural forests will be converted to pine plantations and that current trends in harvesting threaten a number of wildlife species. In their request, the groups also cited the two-year moratorium on new chip mills imposed earlier this month by Missouri, another major producer of woodchips.

“The study provides a real sense of urgency to slow down new chip production until sensible forest policies are in place,” said Danna Smith, executive director of the Dogwood Alliance. “North Carolina should follow Missouri’s lead and put its forests first.”

“Diverse and abundant forests provide clean water, wildlife habitat, a steady timber supply and represent the environmental and economic backbone of North Carolina,” said Dan Whittle, senior attorney for Environmental Defense. “For the state to turn its back on sustainable forestry would be a tragic mistake.”

“Almost 80% of North Carolina’s forests are privately owned, but, unlike the protections in place for national forests and other public lands, the state has few policies or programs to protect private forests,” said Derb S. Carter, senior attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center.

Draft Study Findings Include:

• Chip mill impacts do provide evidence of rapid increases in timber harvests in the state.
• Between 1990 and 1997, pulpwood (includes wood chip) production in North Carolina increased by 32%.
• In 1997, NC exported 25% of its pulpwood (includes wood chips) to other states and 5% to other countries.
• As coastal plain hardwood forests are depleted, the increased hardwood cut is shifting to the Piedmont. Predicted forest harvests will adversely affect wildlife dependent on mature forests, particularly upland and lowland hardwood forests and natural pine forests.

In Texas, 13 of 19 known pairs of the Northern Aplomado falcon occur on Safe Harbor properties in the southern part of the state. Along the Texas coast, more than 60,000 acres of private land are part of a Safe Harbor agreement to protect the Attwater Prairie Chicken.

The state study, www.cfr.ncsu.edu/for/chipmill/chip.htm, is now available for public comment. The state expects to finalize the study in late May or early June.