| Originally Published on
October 2, 2003 |
For those who may attend a DEC information
meeting about their logging of the Highland forests, here
is a glossary of terms and phrases you may hear. It's best
to be prepared! |
| What they say: |
"There will be no negative
environmental impact from this operation" |
| What they mean: |
"We don't really care much about the people who live
on Gipsy Trail or Nichols Street, the needs of the town of
Kent, your kids school busses or the logging trucks they may
run into nor the quiet at the county park immediately below
our operations." |
| What they say: |
"It's all about water quality!" |
| What they mean: |
"It's all about finding out how many trees we can cut
before we affect water quality." |
| What they say: |
"It's all about teaching best management practices" |
| What they mean: |
"Private landowners are too lazy to come upstate so
we're cutting down your forests to show them how to cut theirs
down." |
| What they say: |
"Environmentalists are in favor of logging" |
| What they mean: |
"If Environmentalists knew what we were really doing
they'd be tarring and feathering us." |
| What they say: |
"There will be a significant and positive economic
impact on this region from our logging operation" |
| What they mean: |
"We'll earn just about enough to pay the DEC forester's
salary and reap a bunch of firewood for your wood stoves" |
| What they say: |
"We are going to remove invasive species from the forest,
like barberry, alanthus and bittersweet." |
| What they mean: |
"We are going to remove everything from the forest
that interferes with our preferred species of timberable wood
like ancient maples, tulip poplars many feet around and black,
white and gray birch - and beeches, too!" |
| What they say: |
"We are going to 'treat' the forest" |
| What they mean: |
"We are going to cut down the trees" |
| What they say: |
"Logging today will improve the health of the forest" |
| What they mean: |
"Logging today will improve the health of the trees
we want to cut down in the future" |
| What they say: |
"We are going to increase biodiversity" |
| What they mean: |
"We are going to create habitat for grouse hunting
and increase the deer population." |
| What they say: |
"We will be removing dead and diseased trees" |
| What they mean: |
"We will be messing around with the natural forest
eco-system hoping we have a clue about what we're doing. And
all that biomass we'll be removing from the forest? Don't
be bothered! We'll leave the crowns of the trees we cut down." |
| What they say: |
"We will be leaving many trees for wildlife" |
| What they mean: |
"If we cut them all down all those animals will be
living in your backyards and then you'll be really pissed." |
| What they say: |
"New York has hundreds of thousands of acres of Old
Growth forest" |
| What they mean: |
"If you want to see old growth forest go to the Adirondacks." |
| What they say: |
"The people of the State of New York have entrusted
these forests to us to manage based on science and scientific
principles" |
| What they mean: |
"We're going to cut down the forests and there's nothing
you can do to stop us because we'll wave "science"
in your faces. Besides, we have degrees in Forestry and if
we don't use them we'll have to go back to private commercial
logging and loose our cushy state jobs and pensions." |
| What they say: |
"NYS DEC has always worked cooperatively with local
governments on forestry operations." |
| What they mean: |
"NYS DEC would work with local governments if they
didn't want to impede our plans and we do work with the ones
who agree to everything we do." |
