 Forest
and Water Quality
Nutrient Management Concerns
A
Position of the North Carolina Division, Society
of American Foresters
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Position
The Society of American Foresters (SAF) promotes
policies that encourage long-term investments in forests
and forest resources. The society recognizes that
both private and public forestlands provide products
and amenities that benefit all Americans. The extent
of, and fairness of rules governing the practice of
forestry affects the degree to which private forest
landowners are willing to make long-term investments
in private forestlands to provide such products and
amenities. The SAF believes that the conservation
and enhancement of private forest resources relies
on an equitable balance between the security of rights
and the stewardship responsibilities associated with
the ownership of private forestland.
The SAF believes that state and federal laws designed
to protect the air, water soil, flora and fauna associated
with forest ecosystems benefit the vast majority of
Americans. However, some North Carolina private forest
landowners are experiencing diminished property and/or
commodity values due to the Neuse Temporary Rule for
Riparian Buffers (NTR). These landowners believe they
bear a disproportionate share of the societal costs
resulting from the implementation of this rule. To
remedy this situation, the North Carolina Division,
Society of American Foresters (NCSAF) encourages the
use of voluntary, non regulatory approaches, incentives,
education and tax policies to encourage landowners
to achieve public forest resource goals on private
forestlands.
The Forest Practices Guidelines Related to Water
Quality (FPGs) were developed in 1989 by a Technical
Advisory Committee (TAC) which was established by
the law which amended the forestry exemption to the
Sedimentation Pollution Control Act (SPCA). The FPGs
dealt primarily with sedimentation, but also with
other potential pollutants. They are performance oriented
standards, which are applied statewide in a uniform
manner for all forestry site disturbing activities.
At the request of the Department of Environment and
Natural Resources (DENR), the Forestry TAC was reconvened
to address the issue of reduction of nutrient outflow
from forestry site disturbing activities. The TAC
crafted a proposed amendment to the FPGs that would
deal with any nutrients that may move off site from
forestry operations. This proposed amendment is consistent
with the scientific data that there is very limited
nutrient movement from any forestry operation.
The NCSAF strongly supports the adoption of a science
based, performance oriented rule that would apply
uniformly to all waters classified as "Nutrient
Sensitive" by the Environmental Management Commission
(EMC). Adoption of such a rule will allow legitimate
forestry operations to continue, providing multiple
benefits for private landowners and the general public.
There will be much more confidence, within the forestry
profession, of how to proceed when there is one rule
to deal with in areas designated nutrient sensitive.
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