After probably going through a lot of trouble to obtain copies of Joe Glisson’s firewood cutting permits from the Forest Service, it’s too bad she didn’t bother to pick up a copy of the rules of firewood cutting in the Shawnee Forest (no Freedom of Information invocation required.) If she had, she would have seen that Mr. Glisson’s quote about the value of standing trees is still valid, as the rules for firewood cutting clearly state that only fallen trees may be cut for firewood. These are trees that no logging company would touch. Ironically, selling $10 permits to harvest dead and fallen trees for firewood is profitable for the Forest Service, as it does not require the building of special roads, etc., that commercial logging requires. Also, firewood harvesting creates little, if any, environmental damage as living trees are not harmed.

The difference in cost between the $10 Mr. Glisson pays to cut firewood and the $45 per half cord she pays a dealer represents hours of sweat and backbreaking labor, If she had ever tried to harvest firewood, instead of buying it, I doubt that she would have made this comparison.

I’d also like to comment that there would probably be no protesters in the Shawnee National Forest if commercial loggers, like firewood cutters, could harvest their products at no taxpayer expense and with little environmental harm.

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