NH Business: Coos County faces what’s described as a “David vs. Goliath” challenge to proposed new use of thousands of valuable forest acres

BUSINESS. I’M FRED KOCHER. HERE’S A MAP OF COÖS COUNTY, THE GREAT NORTH WOODS, AND IS A SITUATION DEVELOPING IN COÖS COUNTY IN THOSE WOODS THAT POTENTIALLY COULD HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON ITS FOREST AND TOURISM ECONOMY. AS WELL AS THE ECONOMY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE. TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT, HERE’S SOME DATA. NEW HAMPSHIRE, TIMBERLAND AND FORESTRY AND TOURISM ECONOMY, FOREST PRODUCTS INDUSTRY GENERATES 1.4 BILLION ECONOMY LODGING IN LODGING, SAWMILLING, PAPERMAKING, BIOMASS POWER. FOREST MANAGEMENT SUPPORTS OUR OUTDOOR RECREATION UP THERE AT 3 BILLION IN THAT ECONOMY. AND THE CHALLENGE TO COOS COUNTY FOREST INDUSTRY A STATE OFFICIALS SAY THEY ARE SEEKING A MEETING THAT WAS IN 2023 WITH THE NEW OWNER OF THE 146 000 ACRE TIP OF NEW HAMPSHIRE. AND THE. THAT OUTFIT IS BLUE SAUCE, NOW CALLED AURORA SUSTAINABLE LANDS, WHOSE BUSINESS PLAN IS PRIMARILY SELLING CARBON CREDITS TO KEEP THE TREES GROWING RATHER THAN LOGGING THE NEW HAMPSHIRE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES REJECTED AURORA’S SUSTAINABLE LANDS TEN YEAR FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN, ARGUING THE PLAN DOESN’T INCLUDE THE ABILITY TO USE THE LAND AS A WORKING FOREST. NOW THE PRESIDENT OF AURORA, BLAKE STENZEL, THE COMPANY IS REVIEWING THE STATE’S SPECIFIC COMMENTS AND AURORA AND THAT THE AURORA SHARES THE STATE’S GOAL OF SUPPORTING LOCAL TIMBER HARVESTING AND FOREST PRODUCTS. BUT NEW HAMPSHIRE NEW HAMPSHIRE EXECUTIVE COUNCILOR JOE KENNEY SAYS AURORA’S PROPOSED PLAN TO CUT BACK 50% OF HARVESTING WILL HAVE A SUSTAINABLE IMPACT, A SUBSTANTIAL IMPACT ON THE LOGGING COMMUNITY UP NORTH. NOW WITH ME IN THE STUDIO ARE ERICA CANALES, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION GOSHEN AND MARK BRADY, COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR IN COÖS COUNTY. WELCOME TO BOTH OF YOU, AND NICE TO HAVE YOU. THAT’S A LONG TRIP DOWN HERE TO MANCHESTER. I APPRECIATE THAT. UM, LET ME ASK YOU FIRST, ERICA, YOU LABELED THIS A A DAVID VERSUS GOLIATH SITUATION. JUST PAINT A PICTURE FOR US. SO I THINK THE QUICKEST WAY TO PUT THAT INTO TERMS IS WE ARE A 2% POPULATION IN THE 20% OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, AND WE’RE UP AGAINST A FOREIGN CORPORATION THAT IS A HEDGE FUND BASED AND OUT OF HOUSTON. AND WE HAVE A HISTORICAL INDUSTRY THAT IS NOT AS ROBUST AS IT USED TO BE, BUT IS STILL A CRUCIAL CULTURAL COMPONENT OF OUR COMMUNITY THAT WE ARE FIGHTING TO KEEP IN PLACE. AND THEY NOW HAVE A CONTROL OVER 146,000 ACRES. OF THAT 20% MARK. THE PROPOSAL BY AURORA TO USE HALF OR MORE OF THAT 146,000 ACRES IN YOUR COUNTY FOR CARBON CREDITS. ELSEWHERE IN THE UNITED STATES, INSTEAD OF HARVESTING OF TIMBER BY LOCAL BUSINESSES, HOW IS THAT GOING TO CHANGE THE ECONOMY IF IT HAPPENS? WELL, I THINK IT’S FUNDAMENTALLY IT CHANGES IT. I THINK YOU USE THE NUMBER THAT TIMBER ALONE WAS 1.4 BILLION. SO IF YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT INSTEAD OF HARVESTING, LET’S SAY OVER 100 YEAR SPAN, THREE CUTS, YOU’RE DOWN TO MAYBE ONE CUT OF MANAGEMENT. I MEAN, JUST DO THE NUMBERS. IT’S AND I THINK THE POINT OF THIS IS WE’RE FROM COÖS COUNTY, THE LAND, IT’S THE LARGEST LAND PIECE OF LAND IN THE STATE. BUT THIS IS A STATE ISSUE BECAUSE WHAT YOU’RE WHAT THIS MEANS IS IT’S A DIFFERENT WAY IN WHICH NEW HAMPSHIRE HAS HISTORICALLY MANAGED ITS FOREST. THAT NATURAL RESOURCE, WITH ALL OF THE INTEREST GROUPS COMING TOGETHER, YOU KNOW, TO WANT TO DO IT. AND IF YOU WANT TO DO CARBON FIRST MANAGEMENT IN LITERALLY SHUT DOWN THE FOREST, WHICH IS WHAT YOU’RE BASICALLY DOING, IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT TIMBER. TIMBER IS THE FIRST INDUSTRY THAT GOES AT 1.4 MILLION, BUT THEN ACCESS TO THE LAND FOR RECREATIONAL AND ALL OF THAT. THAT’S OUR WAY OF LIFE. I WOULD, I WOULD BET IF I WAS A BETTING MAN SAY, THEY’RE NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU ACCESS. ERICA. THE AS YOU KNOW, PAPER MILLS HAVE CLOSED IN BERLIN. THE BIOMASS PLANTS HAVE CLOSED. UM, HOW MUCH DOES THAT REDUCE THE DEMAND FOR FOREST PRODUCTS, WHICH IS ALSO AN ISSUE, RIGHT? YEAH. PARTIALLY SO. BUT I STILL THINK YOU STILL HAVE AN A NUMBER OF BUSINESSES THAT STILL PUT THAT OUT. YOU’VE GOT INNOVATION GOING ON WITH CROSS-LAMINATED TIMBER. SO THERE ARE STILL INNOVATIONS AND NEEDS IN THE TIMBER INDUSTRY THAT WE HAVE TO BE LOOKING TO SUPPORT. EVEN IF THE 146,000 ACRES DISAPPEAR FOR FROM HARVESTING, WOULD THAT HAVE ANY IMPACT ON FOREST PRODUCTS? OH, ABSOLUTELY. I MEAN, THAT’S WHAT I WAS ASKING. OKAY. SO BASICALLY AT THAT POINT I MEAN, WE OUR BUSINESS AS IT AS IT IS, ARE HAVING TO GO TO NEW YORK AND OTHER PLACES TO FIND THAT THAT WOOD, WHICH IS NOT AFFORDABLE FOR THEM TO CONTINUE THAT BUSINESS. SO THEY WILL THEY WILL SHUTTER IF THAT. A LOT OF YOUR SMALL BUSINESSES THAT DEPEND ON THAT HARVESTING OF THAT WOOD ARE BE OUT OF BUSINESS. ABSOLUTELY. MARK THE FOREST ECONOMY AND THE TOURISM ECONOMY HAVE BEEN LINKED IN THAT PART OF NEW HAMPSHIRE FOR DECADES AND DECADES. UH, WE’RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, OF COURSE, THE THE CANNON MOUNTAIN TRAMWAY, THE MOUNT WASHINGTON, UH, SANTA’S VILLAGE STORYLAND, THE STATE PARKS, THE TRAILS AND SO FORTH. IS THAT LINK THREATENED BY THIS? OH, I THINK ABSOLUTELY IT IS. I THINK THAT IT’S HISTORICALLY THE WAY THE STATE HAS USED THE NATURAL RESOURCE EVERY WHICH WAY. AND THAT’S THE GREAT NORTH WOODS, ETC. UM, YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT CUTTING ACCESS OFF AND THAT CHANGES THE WHOLE NATURE. ALL OF THE RECREATIONAL ACCESS USE GOES AWAY. AND SO YOU MAY HAVE A SANTA MAY BE ABLE TO LITERALLY SURVIVE, SO TO SPEAK. UH, AND THE TRAM. BUT IT’S NOT IT. YOU LOSE A LOT OF THAT QUICKLY. IS THERE A COMPROMISE HERE BETWEEN BETWEEN THE COUNTY AND AND AURORA? I DON’T SEE HOW WE AS A COUNTY PROSPER WITH A CARBON FIRST STRATEGY. IF THEY CAN GUARANTEE CUTS IN THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT, HOW THEY’RE GOING TO CUT OVER A PERIOD OF TIME, AND IT KEEPS THE MILLS FIRST AND FOREMOST IN BUSINESS, THE LUMBER YARDS, THEN MAYBE AND I WANT TO THANK BOTH OF YOU FOR COMING ALL THE WAY DOWN FROM COHOES COUNTY TO THE STUDIO HERE. MY THANKS TO ERICA CARNALIS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, AND MARK BRADY, WHO’S COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR IN COÖS COUNTY. AND IF YOU MISSED PART OF THIS BRIEFING, YOU CAN GO TO WMUR,