Dear Editor,
I understand the Forest Service is planning to log stands of almost 12,000 acres of mostly old and mature forest in the Telephone Gap area of the Green Mountain National Forest just east of Pittsford. That is bigger than the whole city of Burlington. (Google it for yourself: Telephone Gap Project.)
We all know old forests preserve our watersheds, protect biodiversity of critters and plants, and do the most to stop climate change. We need wood but we shouldn’t cut more than we really need.
A large amount of the trees logged in Vermont are exported to other countries or other states. We should preserve our public forests so they can continue to grow and do the above jobs better and better for us all. Private forests provide about 95% of all the timber harvested in Vermont, and we should let them continue to handle the timber needs. Preserve our old forests on public lands!
If you share my concern, please make a comment to the Forest Service in this form before Midnight April 8: Tinyurl.com/m8uyf5ye.
Equally or more important, call or write our senators and representative Bernie Sanders, Peter Welch, and Becca Balint.
This is a federal matter, and they want to know how we feel. Just Google them to get contact information.
Thank you,
Howard Jennings
Bristol
