When conservationists offered $150,000 to preserve large portions of Indiana's Yellowwood State Park, the government sold it to a logging company for less
The Department of Natural Resources sold large portions of Indiana’s Yellowwood State Park to a logging company this week, despite the fact that people interested in conserving the forest offered considerably more money.
On Thursday, an auction of the forest was won by Hamilton Logging of Sullivan County for just $108,785. However, the conversationalist owners of Distinctive Hardwood Floors and Castlewood Inc. were willing to offer $150,000 to preserve the trees for 100 years. The company was backed up by hundreds of protesters who also wanted the forest preserved.
Sadly, the highest and most honorable offer was ignored and the DNR opted to sell to a company that has every intention of cutting down the trees. While there has been no official statement on why they ignored the best possible option, many have speculated that the conservationists were ignored in the auction because they were not licensed timber buyers, a technicality that likely prevents environmentalists from buying and preserving land in most public land auctions of this nature.
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9 comments:
Preserved forests usually don't generate any tax revenue. Follow the $$$.
Why did they sell state park land and not lease it?
Good ol boy network strikes again. Dang straight follow the $$$.
Trees are a renewable resource. Replant and re-harvest every 33 years and the money triples; way past $50k. And it's forested the whole time.
However, yes, they should lease that land and send profits to the owners, We, the People.
Since when has the B of Land Mgmt. become the B of Land Ownership?
Leave it to the greenies and the forest will become the next California Napa tradegy
Just the good old boys...
Appears to be Salisbury politics at the Federal level.
It's a state park, not in any way associated with the federal government.
The people who wanted to preserve it for 100 years had it in mind to cut the trees then and turn them into flooring, which by then would sell for $200 per foot.
People sell lumber on their land all the time. Looks like the state should accept the top offer and if need be, change the rules to allow anyone to purchase. And every now and then forests must be thinned out by cutting down the unhealthy trees so that healthier trees can grow. But, if we cut down too many trees, wildlife ends up in our streets and yards. There's good on both sides.
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