2012_10_26_IMG_9999-2-266x400Nipped over to check today’s editorial now that Clark Walworth is no longer there and unfortunately it reads pretty status quo. “The devil is in the forest details” applauds the Devil’s Staircase Wilderness Act unanimously passed by the US Senate, which is nice, but then concludes with the same old meme of giving private companies more access to federal timber while ignoring the real devil in the details.

Rural counties are severely hurting and have been for decades. The senators’ next move should be laying out a clear logging plan that is as agreeable to conservationists as SB 352 is to the logging industry.

The real devil, of course, are the special assessments afforded large timber property owners. Public subsidies for private timber without any regard for the ROI to the public is a long overdue debate.