-I know I’ll have to sue him,” says Ken Hopkins of
Greenbluff, Wash., who is unhappy with a private logger who
harvested trees on Hopkins’ woodlot. The dispute centers around the
price for trees and environmental damages from improper logging,
according to the Spokane Spokesman-Review. State officials in
Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Utah say many landowners
have been enticed by record-high timber prices into making
agreements with unscrupulous loggers. In Idaho alone, state
inspectors found violations on one out of five private timber
harvests they inspected. The crooked practices often start with
scare tactics, such as telling landowners the market can’t sustain
present high prices, says Lou Torres of the Oregon Department of
Forestry. Landowners are also duped when they don’t establish
beforehand the amount to be harvested or whether the logger or mill
will make payment. Surprisingly, many landowners allow logging
without a written contract, says Paul Klug of the Montana
Department of State Lands. “Some people seem to think it’s like
mowing their hay or something,” he says. State officials all
recommend consulting a reputable state or private forester. A list
of consulting foresters is available at states with forestry
offices.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Woodlot owners at risk.
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