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Need Protection, Not Logging" is to be used only for
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For Immediate Release: April 16, 2002
Contact: Sean Cosgrove, Sierra Club, (202) 675-2382
        Tom Weis, National Forest Protection Alliance, (202) 879-3195
        Tiernan Sittenfeld, US Public Interest Research Group, (202)
546-9470 x311

             Scientists Say: National Forests Need Protection,
                                Not Logging
      Letter to President Bush highlights the need for protection and
                        restoration

Washington, D.C. -- More than 200 scientists from every state in the nation
signed a letter to President Bush today urging him to end commercial
logging of our National Forests and renew the Forest Service's original
vision of forest protection. In the letter, released by Sierra Club,
National Forest Protection Alliance (NFPA), and US Public Interest Research
Group (PIRG), the scientists address the benefits of forest protection to
the economy, water quality, wildlife and recreation.

Noted scientist signers include Dr. Edward O. Wilson, Harvard University
professor and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Dr. Anne Ehrlich, Associate
Director of Stanford University's Center for Conservation Biology, and Dr.
Peter Raven, Director of the Missouri Botanical Garden and recipient of the
2000 President's National Medal of Science.

"Logging has caused devastating impacts on the ability of our National
Forests to provide wildlife habitat and economically valuable goods and
services. The loss of biodiversity is the folly our descendants are least
likely to forgive us. Mr. President, we urge you to end the destructive
practice of commercial logging in the National Forests and to begin a
scientifically based program to restore habitat and native species," the
scientists say in the letter.

"When more than 200 highly respected scientists agree that logging our
National Forests is detrimental to the environment, wildlife and the
economy, we hope the Bush Administration listens. These scientists know
that our forests provide clean water and recreational opportunities for all
Americans," said Carl Pope, Executive Director of the Sierra Club.

"The Bush Administration is working overtime to increase logging when it
should be putting an end to commercial logging on our National Forests,
period," said Tom Weis, Executive Director of NFPA.

"Protecting our National Forests is an investment in the future.
Unfortunately, the Forest Service is pushing for more logging, which would
return us to the destructive policies of the past.  We urge the
administration to heed the advice of these eminent scientists," said
Tiernan Sittenfeld of PIRG.

Undersecretary of Agriculture Mark Rey is the former timber lobbyist now
charged with overseeing the management of the nation's 192 million-acre
National Forest system. Under his tenure, the agency is pursuing numerous
avenues for increasing logging on our National Forests, including recent
attempts to gut the Northwest Forest Protection Plan, rewrite the Roadless
Area Conservation Rule to allow for more logging, mining and drilling, and
turn management of National Forests over to special interests through
charter forest initiatives.

The timber industry has turned America's publicly owned National Forests
into a patchwork of clearcuts and logging roads. Commercial logging,
subsidized by American taxpayers, drains nutrients from the soil, washes
topsoil into streams, destroys wildlife habitat and intensifies the
severity of forest fires.

To read a copy of the letter and a complete list of scientists signers, go
to:
http://www.sierraclub.org/logging/letter.

Statements from selected scientists:

"At a time when increasing pressure is placed on natural resources and the
environment globally, it is essential that in the U.S. we protect our
National Forests for their greatest values. These forests are landscapes
dominated by natural processes, habitat for diverse wildlife and a source
of inspiration and benefit for humankind," said Dr. David R. Foster,
Director of the Harvard Forest.

"Our National Forests are home to a vast array of plant and animal species,
many in a delicate balance of survival. We must protect and restore these
species, the fragile forest ecosystems on which they depend, and our
natural forest heritage," said Dr. Peter Raven, Director of the Missouri
Botanical Garden.

"It is critically important to reverse the trend of destruction in our
National Forests that has prevailed for decades and focus instead on
protection of what remains and scientifically-based restoration wherever
possible.  Most Americans appreciate the value of our National Forests for
the wildlife and other diverse species they harbor and for recreational
opportunities.   Equally important, though not always appreciated, are the
ecological services provided by natural forests, including sources of
dependable, clean fresh water," said Dr. Anne Ehrlich, Associate Director
of Stanford University's Center for Conservation Biology.

                                    ###



Erin Jordahl
Director, Iowa Chapter Sierra Club
3839 Merle Hay Road, Suite 280
Des Moines, IA 50310
515-277-8868
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