Sale Leaves Many Questions as to How the Land Will Be Managed in the Future

Southern forests are some of the most biologically rich and diverse in the world, but have been exploited for generations by the pulp and paper industry and much of the beauty and true value of our forests has been lost to unsustainable forestry practices including large-scale clear-cutting and the conversion of native forests to sterile pine plantations.

Today’s announcement by of the sale of 5.1 million acres of its remaining lands, mostly in the South, leaves us questioning the future of this land. The deal brokered with Resource Management Services, LLC and TimberStar, two Timber Investment Management Operations, will allow for and facilitate the continued use of the misguided and mislabeled Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) certification scheme that permits logging of endangered forests, large-scale clearcutting and the continued conversion of native forests to sterile pine plantations. These practices have had devastating ecological and economic impacts across the South.

Southern Forests need a break from business-as-usual forestry and it is time to embrace full protection of endangered forests and a working forest landscape that protects and promotes ecological values and community well-being.

To read Dogwood Alliance’s statement on the April 4th land sale, click here.

Scot Quaranda

Scot has been with Dogwood Alliance since 2000 and has served as a campaign organizer, field director, campaign director and is currently the communications director. In his role he is in charge of story telling, creative, media relations, and PR. He has a dual BA from Drew University in Psychology and Philosophy and has worked previously with the Fund for Public Interest and in music PR for artists such as Buddy Guy and Ani DiFranco.