In an age-old battle between the timber industry and its environmental foes, the battleground appears to be spreading east. A decline in timber harvesting on the West Coast's federal lands has made the private forests of the Southeast all the more alluring to loggers trying to meet the demand for paper.
Some environmentalists attribute the trend to greed and weak regulations.
Industry officials insist their methods are based on good science that will help sustain the region's forests in the long run. Dogwood and other environmental groups led the charge to toughen laws in Oregon and Washington. They say repeating that success in Southern states presents a more formidable challenge. Some industry officials say there's no need for tougher laws. A lot of people view a clear-cut as a permanent state, which it's not.