Thompson introduces forest conservation bill in Congress

The Community Forestry Conservation Act of 2009 was introduced this week by North Coast Congressman Mike Thompson and a bipartisan group of representatives and senators.

Supported by a broad coalition of environmentalists, private landowners and the timber industry, this bill was introduced to protect private forests from development while keeping intact private property rights, and the jobs and businesses that are tied to the land.

”The current tax code makes it hard for conservation organizations to manage and restore our forests,” said Thompson. “This bill is important for the health of our forests and forest jobs.”

”A massive forest ownership conversion has taken place with nearly 84 percent of America's industrial forests changing hands in the past 12 years,” said Tom Tuchmann, president of Portland, Ore.-based U.S. Forest Capital. “Notwithstanding the economic downturn, transaction activity remains strong, creating opportunities for large-scale conservation purchases.”

Fast action is needed, a press release from Thompson states. While deforestation has been balanced by reforestation of agriculture lands in recent decades, the U.S. Forest Service estimates that 23 million acres of forests will be lost by 2050, it reads.