I am writing in response to the recent article “Attorney General brings case against central Vermont loggers.” I am a Vermont licensed professional forester, Society of American Foresters certified forester, and a New Hampshire licensed professional forester with more than 15 years of experience in the field as a consulting forester in Vermont and New Hampshire.
I am impressed that the attorney general is taking this case seriously and enforcing the laws that exist to protect landowners from timber theft.
Although I sympathize with the affected landowners, the landowners could have avoided some if not all of this if they had called their consulting forester or their county forester. One of the affected landowners is enrolled in the current use program, which means they had a licensed forester prepare their forest management plan to maintain enrollment in current use. As a consulting forester, we regularly receive phone calls or emails from landowners who have been approached by logging contractors looking to cut their trees. We assist landowners with navigating the logging process, which sometimes results in a decision to not do any logging with a specific contractor, or develop another plan for implementing management activities.
Licensed professional foresters are equipped with the experience and knowledge to help any landowner navigate the cutting of trees, including the legalities, which can help prevent situations like this from occurring. The county forester is a public resource which is accessible to all Vermonters. You can find your county forester’s contact info on the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation website.
The Codling Brothers do NOT represent the forest products industry. These guys are bad actors who should be called out for their illegal, unprofessional activity. I work with dozens of logging contractors who do exceptional, honest work, and deeply care for our forests and the landowners who own them. As a community, we need to cull out loggers who break the law and disrespect our forests and landowners, so we can elevate the loggers who are out there working their butts off to nurture the forests we all love. Call your consulting forester or county forester before you cut.
Respectfully,
Addison Kasmarek, CF
