Optimistic about Forest Service direction

by Jim McCormack, Forester, Florence

No matter which side of the political aisle you favor, you must admit that the Forest Service is a broken agency. This institution has been assaulted both internally and externally for over three decades. It can barely perform the basic mission anymore.

Internally, discriminatory policies such as affirmative action are largely to blame.  Hiring and promotions were decided without regard to supervisory experience or the ability to manage a program. Instead, people were chosen because of their minority status. Unfortunately this resulted in setting individuals up for predictable failures. To make matters worse, the people who failed were then promoted and moved up the ladder where they could do even more harm.

Externally, the Endangered Species, Equal Access to Justice and the National Environmental Policy Acts combined to severely curtail good forest management.  These acts gave birth to the conflict industry which handcuffed good, solid forest management projects around the country and your forests visually show the results. Organizations such as the so called “Friends” of the Bitterroot successfully managed to cripple the agency. They even received taxpayer dollars to accomplish their mission. There are hundreds of examples. Did you know that the reforestation budget to rehabilitate the Bitterroot after the 2000 burn went to pay lawyers instead of doing what it was intended to do? These three acts require a major rewrite so that they support forest management and not stifle it. 

Now along comes an administration set on correcting past errors and changing course. Heavy handed; most definitely. However, what is the alternative? Given the present MO, government agencies would take three years to study the problem and conclude that more upper level management positions will solve all of the problems. WRONG! Unfortunately it’s the worker bees who are most affected by current policies. Cuts are most definitely needed but at the upper management levels, not at the other end of the spectrum.  

Given the background of the new Chief of the Forest Service, I am optimistic that this boat will start to get back on course. I wish the Chief the best of luck because he really is going to need it.