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A forest service critique
Tuesday, April 28th 2026

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A forest service critique

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By | Special to The Denver Post
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Chief Abigail Kimbell of the U.S. Forest Service wrote a guest commentary in the June 13 Denver Post which I respectfully take vigorous exception to. She extolled the virtues of the “Kids in the Woods” program co-sponsored by the USFS and the American Recreation Coalition (ARC).

This program is a whitewash of today’s out-of-touch-with-reality USFS. Under the heavy hand of the anti-environmental Bush administration, Mark Rey (Kimbell’s boss) and Kimbell, much damage is being perpetrated upon environmental quality and the sensibilities of the American Public. Some examples:

  •  A 1,400 acre phosphate mine expansion into an inventoried roadless area has been approved in eastern Idaho on the Caribou National Forest. Phosphate mining produces Selenium — a horrible water pollutant and fish killer and also highly toxic to humans (Source: Idaho Statesman June 11). The corporate benefactor, of course, is the multibillion-dollar JR Simplot Company. So much for Kimbell’s assertion of the importance of clean water.
  •  The forest supervisor of the Lolo National Forest in Montana recently approved aerial weed spraying with 10 deadly chemicals including Natrazine, a proven cause of cancer in humans (Source: retired FS employee Dick Artley, Grangeville, Idaho).
  •  In western Montana, Plum Creek Timber Company owns over 1 million acres of private land in a checkboard pattern and plans on selling much of it for land development. Historically the primitive roads built on National Forest parcels were for the express purpose of timber hauling only.

    Mark Rey wants to throw out the rules with zero public involvement and grant unrestricted legal access to Plum Creek. Affected Montana counties are understandably angry and distressed over the impending burden on emergency services and road maintenance. Rey refuses to respond to their letters

    (Source: High Country News, June 9 issue).

  •  In 2005 on the Tongass National Forest, the USFS wastefully spent $48 million in taxpayer money to develop timber sales and logging roads, but received back only $600,000 in timber receipts! Only 200 jobs are linked to Tongass logging whereas 4000 jobs are linked to southeast Alaska’s fishing industry — dependent on clean water and forests — not clear cuts (Source: Spring 2008 issue of Forest magazine).
  •  The USFS has been aggressively exploiting “forest access fees” in backcountry and general forest venues such as Trailheads. (Go to for more.) A fee repeal bill (S2438) has been introduced in the Senate. A House subcommittee held an oversight hearing on FS and BLM fee abuse on June 18.

    The cozy “partnership” between the USFS and the ARC is extraordinarily bad news for the American Public. ARC is a hard core lobbying group for motorized wreckreation. Their mantra is that all Americans have an inalienable right to keep filling their luxury motorhomes with cheap gas. The ARC previously lobbied Congress to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). One wonders if Chief Kimbell and Rey have been studying up on the coming societal train wreck that is Peak Oil?

    Rey and Kimbell are adept at diversions and masking their rip-n-run agenda with platitudes and propaganda like “kids in the woods.” It’s utter nonsense. They have caved in to the ARC, big timber, big oil, big mining, and corporate America. Where is the accountability? Where is the land and water stewardship? Congress needs to bring real reform to a co-opted USFS. It is your precious National Forest heritage, so please get involved.

    Scott Phillips is from Hailey, Idaho, and is a retired USFS Recreation Specialist and public land advocate. EDITOR’S NOTE: This online-only guest commentary has not been edited. Guest commentary submissions of up to 650 words may be sent to openforum@denverpost.com.

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