Date: Fri 01-May-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

state-logging-forestry

Full Text:

Legislature May Shift Control Of Logging From Towns To State

(with photo)

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

The legislature is considering a bill that would make the state the exclusive

regulator and enforcer of forest practices, such as logging, in municipalities

across the state, except in those towns, such as Newtown, which already have

logging regulations in place.

Foresters generally favor having the state Department of Environmental

Protection (DEP) regulate logging in Connecticut, said C. Stephen Driver, the

town's conservation official. Foresters believe such state-controlled forestry

would make it simpler for them to do their work throughout the state,

according to Mr Driver.

Newtown has a good set of forestry regulations, the conservation official

said. The local rules are overseen by the Conservation Commission and enforced

by the conservation official.

At an April 17 meeting of the Housatonic Valley Council of Elected Officials

(HVCEO), Newtown First Selectman Herbert Rosenthal discussed the proposed

state legislation. In the HVCEO region, besides Newtown, Brookfield and

Redding have their own forest-practice regulations.

At that session, State Rep Julia Wasserman said Newtown's forest regulations

work fine.

In an April 20 letter to State Sen Mark Nielsen, Jonathan Chew, HVCEO's

executive director, writes, in part, "The mayors and first selectmen of HVCEO

want you to know that there are no problems being experienced in this area of

local law. No changes to the statutes allowing regulation of forest practices

are needed or advisable."

Letters

In a February 26 letter to State Rep Julia Wasserman, Mr Rosenthal writes the

town vehemently opposes any attempt to surrender its right to regulate logging

to the state.

The town's forestry regulations, enacted in 1983, have worked well and have

generated little controversy, the first selectman wrote.

"It has not been considered onerous by loggers," he added.

If the state assumes control of commercial logging in all towns within the

state, it would actually result in less regulation of local logging in towns

that currently have their own logging rules, according to the first selectman.

State Forester Donald Smith said a state law passed in 1991 allowed individual

towns to have their own forest regulations. Two years ago, the state began

developing state regulations that would cover all of Connecticut, he said.

The pending legislation would allow towns that have "satisfactory" forest

management programs in the eyes of the state to continue regulating activities

such as logging, Mr Smith said.

State Rep Wasserman said she has discussed the pending legislation with State

Rep Andrew Roraback of Goshen in seeking to reach some compromise in which

Newtown, and other towns with their owns forestry regulations, would retain

their right to regulate logging.

Mrs Wasserman said she spearheaded the 1991 state legislation that allowed

towns to create their own forestry rules. That law also provides for the

registration and certification of private foresters and defines their job, she

said.

Newtown has many hills, Mrs Wasserman said, explaining that improper forestry

on slopes results in stormwater runoff causing soil erosion and sedimentation.

The town has the staff and resources needed to regulate local logging, she

said, noting that the state does not.

The drive to allow the state to control logging statewide stems from logging

industry opposition to variations in logging rules from town to town, Mrs

Wasserman said.

Bridgewater First Selectman William Stuart, who is the chairman of HVCEO, said

Bridgewater uses its driveway ordinance to gain leverage over loggers.

In order to gain access to logging sites, loggers need to obtain a town

driveway permit to connect a logging road to a town road, he said. Obtaining

such a permit involves posting a cash bond, he said.

The driveway ordinance in Bridgewater also is used to gain leverage over

sand-and-gravel mining, he said.

If the state were to assume control over logging in all towns in the state,

logging enforcement would be spotty, Mr Stuart said.

State Rep Roraback, who represents Goshen, Salisbury, Sharon, Cornwall and

part of Torrington, said legislators are still developing the forestry-control

bill. The key to formulating the final legislation is balancing the interests

of towns, the state, landowners and the logging industry, he said.

The legislature has until the end of Wednesday, May 6, to either approve,

reject, or let die the final legislation.

Cutting down trees affects soil conditions. Disturbed soil, especially soil on

slopes, can be eroded by the action of rainfall flowing downhill across the

soil. The flowing water erodes soil, thus creating soil sedimentation problems

downslope. The Newtown Conservation Commission's forestry regulations are

designed to protect the soil and bodies of water from erosion and

sedimentation.