Forestry swap: is it a land grab or win-win trade?

Arkansas Business, August 21, 1995 by George Waldon

Smoldering points of controversy dot a proposed land swap encompassing 206,000 acres of forest and wetlands in Arkansas and Oklahoma worth $75 million-$100 million.

Legislation introduced in July by U.S. Sen. Dale Bumpers would allow Weyerhaeuser Co. to trade 158,000 acres of its holdings in the Ouachita Mountains for 48,000 acres of the Ouachita National Forest.

"You may never see another one of these in your lifetime," says John Buenau, land acquisition/exchange manager for Weyerhaeuser in Hot Springs.

That would be too soon to suit environmental groups that oppose the deal, like the Ouachita Watch League and the Sierra Club's Arkansas chapter.

Members of OWL and the Sierra Club are convinced better ways exist to increase the size of the national forest than the land exchange proposed by Bumpers. However, the trade has drawn endorsements from other conservation groups, which have in turn drawn the ire of OWL and the Sierra Club.

The differing assessments of the two camps give rise to wonder over who is really seeing the proverbial forest for the trees. As proposed now, the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service would receive:

* 105,000 acres surrounding Broken Bow Lake and the Mountain Fork River in southeast Oklahoma. This would help establish a perimeter of public ownership around the lake akin to Lake Ouachita. Part of this land also wraps around six miles of the Glover River, the last free-flowing waterway in Oklahoma.

* 25,000 acres in Sevier County between Little River and the Cossatot River above Millwood Lake. Home to alligators and waterfowl, this mix of bottomlands and cypress swamps would become part of the Cossatot National Wildlife Refuge.

* 23,000 acres along the eastern reaches of Lake Ouachita and the Flatside Wilderness Area north of the lake.

* 5,000 acres in southwest Arkansas along both banks of the Little Missouri River, designated as a wild and scenic waterway.

In return, Weyerhaeuser would receive:

* 28,000 acres in southeast Oklahoma in the Tiak Management Area, devoted mostly to pine production, according to the Forest Service.

* 12,000 acres known as the Dry Creek Wilderness Area near the South Fourche LaFave River in Yell and Perry counties.

* 8,000 acres in the Pearcy Mountain area near the growing communities of the Lake Hamilton School District in Garland County.

Yeas & Nays

Members of OWL and the Sierra Club detect an air of conspiracy because they believe their requests for additional information have gotten stonewalled by the Forest Service, Bumpers and Weyerhaeuser.

"If this is such a great deal, put it all in writing and answer our questions," says Jerry Williams, a spokesman for the Ouachita Watch League. "There's a burden to provide substantive answers now that legislation has been introduced."

OWL and other opponents are calling for a round of public hearings and a detailed environmental impact statement to determine the ramifications of the proposed land trade.

"At first glance, the exchange looks like it might be worthwhile, but we started finding some issues we felt very uncomfortable with," says Tom McKinney, conservation chairman of the Sierra Club's Arkansas chapter and a four-state region that includes Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.

"We oppose the trade in its current form, and oppose any action until an environmental impact statement is completed," he adds.

Opinions differ over whether an EIS is required before the land exchange could take place. Opponents say the true value of the lands, monetary and otherwise, and the long-term effects won't be known without an EIS.

Other groups don't see this or other questions raised by opponents as obstacles to prevent the trade from happening.

"We've prepared a resolution for our annual meeting on Aug. 25 supporting the swap," says Robert Apple, president of the Arkansas Wildlife Federation. "We're primarily interested in wildlife and recreation. It looks like a good deal because it's a three-for-one land trade."

Apple and other proponents believe the exchange presents an unusual opportunity to bring more land under public stewardship.

The three acres of Weyerhaeuser land for one acre of Forest Service land is misleading and exposes a problem with quality vs. quantity, according to Williams.

"It ought to be a 10-for-1 trade based on the standing timber [on the Forest Service land]," he says. "It's just absolutely terrible based on Weyerhaeuser retaining oil and gas rights [for 45 years on 100,000 acres that would come under Forest Service control]."

OWL and the Sierra Club are especially skeptical of the "value-for-value" label attached to the proposal, despite reassurances it will be a fair deal for everyone involved.

"I understand that the Forest Service, Fish & Wildlife Service and Weyerhaeuser Co. have contracted with an independent land appraiser to determine the values of the land and ensure that land is traded on a value-for-value basis," Bumpers stated when introducing the bill.

"I plan to be sure that the land values will be established precisely before this legislation is enacted."