Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Environment Concerns Loggers

Loggers do their part to sustain the environment, according to Greg Swede, with International Paper.

Speaking to the Gurdon Rotary Club, Swede said there are no mandated regulations for loggers to follow in Arkansas concerning the environment, so the logging industry polices itself.

The guidelines followed by those in the timber industry were voluntarily established and are voluntarily observed. The state does, however, have regulations concerning water quality, and this affects the timber industry.

Still, he said, those in the industry realize the importance of protecting the environment, so they work to manage the environmental aspects of growing and harvesting timber.

IP, Swede said, belongs to a national organization devoted to protecting the land, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Program.

In other parts of the nation, he said, logging is becoming more and more restricted by lawmakers and IP, along with other timber companies, want things to remain as they are in Arkansas. "We don't want the government telling us about cutting on private property."

About half the timber harvested in the state comes from private property, with the owners' permission. Along with being a source of income, it's a resource the industry prefers to manage on its own.

"We're not destroying forests by cutting trees," Swede said. "IP has been around 100 years and we'll be around a hundred more. We work to regrow forests."

On average, it takes about 40 years to regrow a forest after one has been harvested.

IP, Swede said, wants coming generations to also have these resources. The company has 1.1 million acres of timber land in Arkansas, with plantations everywhere in the state.

The national program IP belongs to makes the company accountable for what it does and requires record keeping so IP can prove it's following the guidelines set forth.

The company has a dozen other objectives of its own it follows. Some of these include a broader practice of sustaining forests using scientific methods; reforesting harvested areas; protecting the quality of water; and enhancing the quality of wildlife habitats.

The public, he said, complains about what is perceived to be waste. The tops of trees normally left behind after cuttings. But, he added, this isn't what it appears to be, as the tops are now mulched so they will go to the soil quicker for nutrients.

IP also requires all wood coming to the plant to be certified before it's brought onto company property.

"We want to get the public involved," he said. "We want to manage for the long run. I think we are better at managing our business and want the industry to be accountable to all involved."