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" - ~ - r I' .. .:. .1I1~ - Rocky Mountain News Sun., Aug.l0. 1997 Environmentalists optimistic ,I new forester will shift policies Leaders want reduction in logging, clear-cutting By John Brinkley NnnWashingtonBurF.l1u WASHINGTON - En\ironmen. UIlists are hopeful that the incom- ing U.S. Forest Scr\r:ice chief for Colorado and four other states 'Nill trc.1.d a little morc lightly on the forests than the woman he's to replace. They base their optimism on the fact that Lyle Laverty, who will take over as Lakewood.based regional forester in November. is now the Forest Service's national director of recreation. Regiolkll foresters usually come "through the timber shop," mean- ing their background is in harvest- ing trees, said Pam Eaton of the Wilderness Society. She and oth- ers said they hoped Laverty's background in recreation will mean fewer c1ear-cuts and less logging in ro..1.d1ess areas in his region. which includes Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas and part of Wyoming. But Laverty has a timber back- ground: he was a forester before L1king over the recreation office. "The other side of my back- ground is that 1 did come from a timber background." Laverty said Friday. "I was a timber manage- .-- . ~ ." ment officer, a forest supervisor and a district ranger. . . . 1 under- stand the importance of multiple uses" of the forests. "Recreation. travel and tourism are dependent on healthy forests," he said. "Vegetation management becomes an important part of lhat." Elizabeth Estill, whom Laverty will replace. was also director of recreation beforc taking over as regional forester in 1992. But she has angered environ- mentalists with what they consid- er a pennissive attitude about 31- 10\l,;ng logging in pristine areas. "Every time we turn around, anothcr timber sale is being of- fered in a roadless area in Colora- do," said Ted Zukoski of the Land and Water Fund of the Rockies. He said a new sate \Iras pro- posed last week for the Routt National Forest. It would include 20 miles of new logging roads and "almost a square mile of clear- cuts." La.;erty said he thought the Forest Service had done a good job of responding to the public's general distaste for dcar<uts, and that he didn't see much place for them anymore. "I really believe we have changed the position in teoos of c1ear-eutting," he said. "We can manage the timber re- source without dear-cutting." Ski industry officials are excited about Laverty, "I expect he'll have a very con- I structivc relationship with the ski industry," said Melanie Mills, ex- ecutive vice president of Colorado Ski Country USA. ''I've worked with him quite a bit. He's very knowledgeable about the ski in~ dustry, .. All of Colorado's major ski ar- ('3s sit on Forest Service land. ~Iil1s said Laverty was a good conciliator. "He listens to all sides of an issue;' she said. "He's a great consensus-builder." Laverty spoke very much in that spirit. "We can manage objectives for scenic quality as well as meeting the timber targets," he said, "I don't see those as mutually exclu. sive objectives. The key is main- taining a healthy dialogue," American Forest and Paper As. sociation spokesman Barry Polsky said timber industry officials in Washington ......eren't familiar with Laverty, primarily because he's been in charge of recreation. an area the industry doesn't pay much attention to. Laverty, 54, has degrees in for- est management from Humboldt State University in California and public administration from George t\1ason University in Virginia. -