Last week SustainableBusiness.com reported on a land conservation deal to purchase and protect 300,000 acres of Montana land owned by Plum Creek Timber Co.
Now it appears that deal was a bit of a smokescreen. Today the Washington Post reported that the Bush administration is literally paving the way for Plum Creek to convert hundreds of thousands of acres in Montana from timber lands, regulated by the U.S. Forest Service, to residential subdivisions.
According to the article, Mark E. Rey, the former forest timber lobbyist appointed to oversee the Forest Service by the Bush Administration, struck a deal behind closed doors with Plum Creek Timber, which is transitioning out of the timber industry into real estate.
With 8 million acres nationwide, Plum Creek is the largest private land owner in the country. The company’s shift into real estate is indicative of a new economy that places a higher value on land used for amenities than land used for timber commodities.
Under the deal, logging roads accessing Plum Creek lands could be paved, increasing access to ecologically sensitive areas and spreading residential development into wildlife habitats that have only endured logging previously.
"We have 40 years of Forest Service history that has been reversed in the last three months," said Pat O’Herren, an official in Missoula County, which is threatening to sue the Forest Service for subverting procedures that would have allowed the public to participate in the decision.
As the Bush Administration prepares to leave office, it’s likely we will see more and more of these backroom deals. Read the full story.
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