Cynthia Hyde-Smith Asks Agriculture Nom About How He Will Support Timber Production And Forest Management

Forbes Breaking News

During Tuesday’s Senate Agriculture Committee hearing, Sen. Cynthia Hyde-Smith (R-MS) questioned Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment Nominee Michael Boren about timber production support.

Transcript

00:00Senator Hodge-Smith.

00:03Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you so much for being here today and your willingness to serve.

00:08And I'm really glad that Stevie is here today.

00:10We don't get very many little girls in here.

00:12So glad that you're here today, Stevie.

00:15You know, in Mississippi, we call ourselves the Wood Basket of the Nation,

00:19and you and I had a really good visit about that.

00:21But we play a critical role in the U.S. timber supply.

00:25We're uniquely positioned just to meet the growing meat demands.

00:30Of the timber needs here and the wood products, but we also ship them through our ports.

00:35Our port at the Gulf of America and down on the Mississippi River as well.

00:41But even in challenging times, public and private forests in Mississippi

00:45have been at the forefront of common sense forest management that helped keep us healthy, working, and productive.

00:52In the next Farm Bill, and through the Fix Our Forest Acts,

00:57we are currently being considered by the committee,

01:02we hope to create more opportunities to support this industry that's very critical to my state

01:08and to improve the essential tools that we need at the Forest Service

01:13to increase the pace and scale of active forest management in Mississippi and across the country.

01:19If confirmed, how do you plan to approach the management within the agency,

01:26especially when it comes to streamlining projects and the approvals of that,

01:31coordinating with state and local partners,

01:33and making sure decisions keep on-the-ground realities in mind?

01:38Senator Hyde-Smith, one of the things that I intend to do is learn more about Mississippi

01:45and how you've accomplished the things you've accomplished,

01:48because some of the projects that you've been involved in in Mississippi

01:53and some of the things that are going on in the forest in Mississippi

01:57are truly revolutionary and should be applied throughout the country.

02:02And I appreciate your example as a state.

02:05But really, I think what it comes down to is we have large tasks ahead of us

02:14with the Forest Service in all the areas you mentioned,

02:18and we need coordination with other entities, both state agencies,

02:23well, state agencies, but also user groups and other organizations

02:28that want to put skin in the game and be helpful.

02:33And I think that, you know, that can be a really, really good thing

02:37as we have not all the resources that we need.

02:41But one thing we need is help from senators and representatives.

02:46And you pointed out that we have a need for streamlining what we do.

02:51And there's some things that we probably can't streamline

02:54without streamlining some of our acts of Congress

02:58that might need a little tweaking so that they work appropriately,

03:02both for protection of the environment,

03:04because one of the things that's important to us

03:06is long-term health of the forests

03:07and sustainability of their usability for the people.

03:12So, you know, that's important,

03:15but also being able to get the right things done at the right time on the ground.

03:20And a good example of that would be after a fire,

03:22it's really important to use that timber now

03:26rather than wait and try and sell it in three or four years

03:29when it has no value.

03:30And there's some things you could do to help us with that.

03:33And we'll be glad to do it.

03:34In Mississippi, it's called hard work.

03:36Our successes are because of hard work

03:39and some really good programs with people willing to invest

03:43and people willing to commit.

03:46But, you know, we've been working on one particular issue for decades now,

03:50and I had the opportunity to mention that to you,

03:53namely developing the area around Lake Okissa

03:55in Franklin County, Mississippi.

03:58It's in the Homachita National Forest.

04:00It's in southwest Mississippi.

04:02Beautiful area, so much potential.

04:051,100-acre pristine lake down there.

04:09And it was built in the 1990s is when it was built.

04:13But you can fish all day long by yourself almost,

04:17and you can ski by yourself.

04:19We've got to develop something to capitalize on the potential around that area.

04:24In the 2018 Farm Bill, we worked really hard to include a provision

04:28that transferred 150 acres of the Homachita National Forest land

04:32to support economic development.

04:35And we're beginning to see that pay off significantly since that's signed into law.

04:40And we're very excited about that project.

04:43Some really good announcements just lately on that.

04:46But the goal of this effort is to enable smart, locally-driven development

04:51that complements the natural resources

04:54and increases public access that you have mentioned.

04:58And I look forward to continuing working with this committee

05:01in supporting economic development in this very, very rural area of Mississippi.

05:07Two small towns.

05:08One of them has a red light.

05:09The other one doesn't.

05:11But, Mr. Boren, please share how you view this kind of targeted land transfer

05:17for economic development

05:18and what kind of support the Forest Service could provide

05:21to ensure the success of this project,

05:24and both for the community and maintaining stewardship

05:27of the surrounding Homachita National Forest lands.

05:31Thank you for the opportunity to address that, Senator.

05:36I have to correct you from my personal point of view, though,

05:39which is I don't want to fish by myself

05:42when I've got nine grandkids that like to fish.

05:45So it's nice to have some friends, even if you have to create them.

05:50But in terms of your project at Lake Okissa, I think it's brilliant.

05:56I think it's replicable.

05:58I think it's the kind of thing that we need to try to do throughout our forests

06:04to increase access and use of the forests.

06:07I don't know that we would have to do it just the way you did it,

06:13but the idea is really important to get people opportunities

06:16to benefit from the use of the forests.

06:18And I look forward to, I mentioned to your staff

06:22that I would love to learn more about that project, and I mean it.

06:25I look forward to coming to your office and meeting with them

06:28and learning how we can replicate that elsewhere.

06:30I'd love for you to come to Mississippi, and I'll take you to Lake Okissa.

06:34Well, as long as I don't have to land at the, what did you call it,

06:41the Brookdale Triangle, because that's a scary place from what I hear,

06:45I'm happy to come.

06:47We'll leave that right there.

Category

Transcript

Recommended