Chip Mill Letter to Tennessee Congressmen

Chip Mill Letter to Tennessee Congressmen & Senators

Don't wait! Demand a regionwide impact study now! Federal agencies, like the E.P.A. and the U.S. Forest Service, are planning a chip mill study. Congressional support for a chip mill impact study is vital now. Fill out the following form and e-mail your letter. Your e-mail will be sent directly to both of Tennessee's Senators and all of our Congressmen . (Better yet, use this example to compose your own letter, and send it via the postal service.)



Your Name:

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Tennessee resident?		Yes No

Snail Mail Address:



The Letter:		Dear Congressman & Senators: I am sending this letter to express concern over the continuing environmental and economic damage caused by the woodchipping industry within the state of Tennessee. Chip mills represent the most unregulated, highly-mechanized arm of industrial forestry, easily shredding entire trees into woodchips in a matter of seconds. They are designed to chip massive quantities of trees as quickly and cheaply as possible. They don't discriminate between soft or hardwood and they can chip large or small trees (although they prefer small). Because of their tremendous appetite for wood, they encourage massive clearcutting, as it produces more wood per acre for less cost than less damaging methods of logging. Each year, approximately 120,000 acres of Tennessee forest are cleared to feed local chip mills. Current environmental regulations placed on Tennessee chip mills are entirely voluntary, and the only environmental impact assessments that have been performed with regard to chip mills have been on-site studies (i.e., they neglect to consider the effects on the forest ecosystems where the timber is being harvested). Although proponents of chip mills claim that they only take low-grade, "under-utilized, over-abundant" timber, the fact is that chip mills often shred high-grade growing stock that would make excellent sawtimber if left to grow. And keep in mind that a chip mill can go through as much timber in one month as an average-sized saw mill goes through in one year. By chipping young trees, chip mills threaten the future wood supply of saw mills and other solid wood industries. By providing the market for clearcutting, chip mills not only threaten the ecological health of Tennessee' forests--they pose a direct threat to the state's tourism industry. A study quoted by the Tennessee Watershed Alliance found that for every 4 jobs created by a chip mill, 80 jobs are lost in tourism in traditional hardwood industries (saw-milling, furniture-building, pallet-manufacture, etc.). In the best interest of Tennessee' forests and economy, I respectfully request your support toward the enactment of the following measures: A) A moratorium on new chip mill permits until B) A cumulative, statewide impact assessment on the environmental and economic effects can be undertaken C) A re-evaluation of existing permits based on that study Thank you for your consideration of this matter. With your help, we may able to protect Tennessee' natural heritage from further destruction. Sincerely, (your name here)

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