Editor,

I have found two recent pieces in The Whidbey Examiner to be particularly interesting and, in one case, quite disturbing. I am referring to the front page article  “Acres clear cut as part of regrowth” in the March 12, 2015 edition.

The response by Elliott Menashe the following week (March 19) was to the point and clarified many of the inaccuracies in the previous article that painted the clearcut in positive terms.

My comments focus on a different problem that is increasingly widespread on Whidbey Island — the excessive logging and conversion of forest land.

We live in a very special place. This place is both gift and blessing to the current residents and visitors. It is a place with both state parks and preserves where all can enjoy creation in its magnificent splendor.

When one walks the paths in Deception Pass State Park and South Whidbey State Park, it is like stepping back in time into a glorious, living cathedral. But did you know that these postage stamp sized preserves represent the best that remains of the once-expansive, low-elevation old-growth forests west of the Cascades? Indeed, less than 0.1 percent of these old-growth forests remain standing. Yes, that is less than one-tenth of one percent.

Deception Pass State Park is the second largest stand of old growth west of the Cascades (outside of the Olympic National Park).

The largest stand is fewer than 5,000 acres in Moran State Park on Orcas Island. Deception Pass is said to be Washington’s most popular state Park — and no wonder.

Whidbey Island benefits greatly from the tourist dollars that flow from the million-plus visitors who come to experience these few remaining crown jewels on Whidbey.

But as visitors drive our roads, what else do they see — obscene acres of destruction as one forest patch after another falls to chainsaws.

Yes, we need forest products, but we have already taken 99.9 percent of the historic forests. How much is enough? How much is too much?

Did you know that based on a recent study, Island County has twice the conversion rate of our forest land to other uses than the surrounding counties?

Elliott Menashe is right. We need to rethink what we do with our island.

The monetary dollars benefiting the island community from a clearcut is trivial. The tax code needs to be revised to encourage those who steward forest land to protect a significant amount for future generations and for the integrity of the forest ecosystem that provides the air we breathe, the water we depend on and the home for the creatures for which we too serve as stewards.

Tax breaks should be provided not only for agricultural land and land managed for timber production, but also for land set aside for re-growing our rare old-growth forest ecosystem from which longterm financial, aesthetic and spiritual benefits will flow.

Thanks for listening. Your children, grandchildren and the creatures we share this island with await your responsible action. Protect Whidbey forests for the future.

Joseph K. Sheldon, Ph.D.

Pacific Rim Institute for Environmental Stewardship

Coupeville