Environmentalists Sue Forest Service

A group of environmentalists in Montpelier, Vt., sued the U.S. Forest Service, claiming it is ignoring evidence that forests generate more income when left alone than when logged. The environmental groups, which include Friends of the Earth and Forest Guardians, accuse the Forest Service of violating federal law requiring it to consider the economic and social benefits of a standing forest before cutting the trees. The lawsuit is unusual, since environmental groups normally claim economics should have no bearing in the forestry debate. But it plays into a new legal theory gaining hold in some circles that asserts that standing forests are worth more than the value of the timber sold and jobs created through logging.