October 20 - Senators Lewis and Young

Yesterday's trip to southern Indiana reinforced my ever-growing resolve about partisan politics. As major political issues continue to be more and more partisan, good public policy takes a backseat to posturing and election fodder. We are so lucky to live in Indiana, where we are governed by citizen legislators who are content to be good people first, good representative second, and party-oriented last. And how fortunate we are that so many of our state legislators recognize the importance of the hardwood industry to the state's beauty, its landscape, and its economy, regardless of political party.

Senators Jim Lewis and Richard Young, both veteran leaders among Senate Democrats, joined Sam Smith, IHLA Legislative Chairman Matthew Smith, and myself for lunch at Joe Huber's. During lunch, they did a great job of telling us why proposed bans on timber harvesting in state forests is bad public policy. On October 29, this issue will come before the legislature's Interim Study Committee on Natural Resources. The hearing will be at 10 a.m. at the Statehouse, Room 404, and this committee will decide if they want to recommend passage of legislation in the 2010 General Assembly. If you agree that our state's Division of Forestry is justified in managing our state forests, as mandated in state law, then show up next Thursday and be part of a big group who opposes this proposal.

An effort which began in Monroe County will be proposed, that would ban harvesting in certain areas of Morgan-Monroe and Yellowood State Forests, which could eventually lead to a state-wide no-cut policy like we see in the Hoosier National Forest. I feel confident that our legislators will see the forest for the trees and reject this proposal, but they need to see evidence of forestry's serious commitment to this issue.

Senators Lewis and Young are on that committee, and being from southern Indiana they see first-hand the value of trees and good forest management. Democrats and Republicans alike in the legislature, in very large numbers, are true friends of Indiana hardwoods.