CONSERVATION CORNER
Bush, Congress Should Consider The Governor's Commission Recommendations
by James L. Cummins

The Governor's Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding and Renewal is a commission that is building a plan to design the massive effort to rebuild South Mississippi and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. It is the brainchild of Governor Haley Barbour and is being chaired by Jim Barksdale, the former CEO of Netscape.

The Commission has been holding forums around the state to assist the Commission in developing the plan. Joe Sanderson of Laurel is a Vice-Chairman and is over the Agriculture, Forestry and Marine Resources Committee.

The Subcommittee on Forest Resources has proposed a plan and everyone from the Bush Administration to Senators Cochran and Lott and the entire House should look at it. It was developed by local people and is exactly what Mississippi needs to restore its forests and help, small, family forest owners.

The Commission presents suggestions for a comprehensive program that would provide some economic recovery to forest landowners; encourage reforestation; and address other elements of forest restoration and conservation considerations. Two of the key elements of the Commission's forest recovery program include fair compensation for forest landowners, and restoring the softwood and hardwood forest resources. This proposal is funded through a combination of federal appropriations and tax incentives to address the needs of all landowners. Specifically, the plan, if adopted by the Congress and approved by the President, would assist non industrial private forest landowners or any forest lands owned by the state, with their loss of timber through financial compensation, assist landowners and state lands with a total reforestation effort of 600,000 acres on lands that sustained 50 percent of damage or more. The plan establishes a new Emergency Restoration Tax Credit, specific to restoring forests and other natural resources damaged by natural disasters.

Hurricanes spread invasive species such as cogongrass and privet hedge. Without aggressive action, it is likely that these species will "capture succession" and prevent re establishment of native forests. The plan funds the control of 90,000 infested acres.

The extensive damage to the forest resources of Mississippi has created extremely dangerous wildfire conditions. Funds will be provided to the Mississippi Forestry Commission and Local Volunteer Fire Departments to assist with fire control.

More than 175 cities/communities have approximately 2.75 million trees damaged or destroyed with an economic value of $1.2 billion. The plan provides financial and technical assistance to plan and re establish trees and forests for communities and private homeowners.

There is little or no basis in timber. The plan proposes that casualty loss be the value of the timber prior to the natural disaster, less the amount salvaged.

The Forest Resource component of the Governor's Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding and Renewal is right on target. It is very important that this plan be adopted.