Ask Louisiana to Stop Illegal Logging in our Cypress Swamps!

Atchafalaya Basinkeeper, Gulf Restoration Network, LCPA-West, and Sierra Club Delta Chapter are deeply concerned about the resurgence of logging operations in the cypress forests of coastal Louisiana. Illegal logging is currently underway in the Atchafalaya Basin. While Louisiana requests billions of dollars for wetland protection and coastal restoration, our State should be actively protecting our remaining cypress/tupelo swamps for our children and generations to come.

In 2016, the Corps of Engineers New Orleans District recognized the value of cypress forests in Southern Louisiana with its regional general permit conditions. The Corps does not  accept that any permanent impact to cypress forests above one-half acre is minimal. We completely agree that every acre of cypress forest is vital, and we ask that thousands of acres be protected from illegal logging.

We are asking you to contact US EPA and the US Army Corps of Engineers to demand the enforcement of applicable laws that protect coastal cypress forests and wetlands.  Section 404 of the Clean Water Act controls damage to coastal forest wetlands by requiring permits for dredge and fill operations in waters of the United States. The logging is illegal under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act. Under Section 404 it is illegal because, among other things, this kind of logging is not sustainable. Swamps in the same area that were logged in 2002, 2003 and 2004 never recovered. Today, these swamps that were once comprised of beautiful, aging cypress have become a thicket of bushes and willows. The logging operations are also illegal under Section 10 of the River of Harbors Act because there is not an exception under Section 10 for logging roads.

These laws should be properly enforced and supported by you, and all the members of our legislative delegation in Washington, to stop the liquidation of our cypress swamps, illegal development of wetlands, and lack of compliance with, and paltry enforcement of, wetland permits.

We are also very concerned about attempts by large out-of-state land and timber companies to obtain permits in the Atchafalaya Basin to legally liquidate these forests. Regrettably, one permit was already granted in a different area of the Atchafalaya Basin. We ask you to exercise whatever influence you have over EPA and the Corps to make sure that permits resulting in the removal of our forested wetlands will not be issued. 

In addition, we request allocation of some coastal restoration funding to compensate landowners for permanent protection (not temporary easements) of cypress forests in coastal Louisiana. This can be accomplished through the coastal forests conservation initiative of the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. This would help us to resolve conflicts between private property owners and the public interest in protecting our coastal forests. It is illogical for the State of Louisiana to request billions of dollars for coastal wetland restoration while the State and Federal governments are simultaneously allowing extensive liquidation of our coastal wetland forests, and failing to stop the forces that destroyed our coast.  

Louisiana’s coastal wetland forests offer tremendous economic, ecological, cultural, and recreational value to residents of Louisiana and the people of the United States. These values include 1) wildlife habitat and species such as migratory songbirds/waterfowl, (many of which are under steep decline because of loss of habitat); 2) flood protection, water quality improvement, and storm protection; and 3) economic benefits of commercial and tourist fishing, crawfishing, hunting and ecotourism including birding.

The Science Working Group (SWG) study on page 1 states that “despite the extensive evidence of the important role wetland forests play in providing critical habitat for many wildlife species and in maintaining water quality and coastal integrity, coastal forested wetland systems are rapidly disappearing.” The undersigned groups believe that we should be doing everything possible to slow or reverse the loss of Louisiana’s forested wetlands.

The value of ecosystem services provided by Louisiana cypress forests included in the SWG study was estimated at about $6.7 billion per year, while the value of the timber is reported to be $3.3 billion (2) SWG page iii. The one-time value of cutting the available timber in coastal cypress forests is only about half of the value we get every year in ecosystem services.

Storm surge protection and flood protection are among the most valuable of ecosystem services provided by coastal forests. In addition, Louisiana’s coastal forests provide the most important ecosystems for migratory birds in the entire western hemisphere. “Millions of landbirds, including virtually all of the eastern neotropical migrant landbird species in the United States and numerous species from the western United States, migrate through the coastal forests of Louisiana during spring and fall migration.  Dozens of wading bird rookeries and over one hundred bald eagle nests are located in Louisiana’s coastal forests. In addition, two of three subpopulations of the Louisiana black bear use these forests.” SWG p ii. Birdwatching and wildlife based recreation constitute a huge economic benefit to the State of Louisiana.

Louisiana’s cypress forests are an extremely important asset for present and future generations yet they have not received adequate attention or protection from State and Federal agencies. We are asking you to help save our forested wetlands by contacting EPA and the Corps to request adequate enforcement of our environmental laws.

Thank you for your consideration of these issues.