Environmentalists and lumber mill officials have agreed to submit to a mediator in hopes of resolving differences over proposed timber harvests in the North Kaibab and Dixie National Forests.
The agreement was reached in a Friday meeting, the fourth in a series between the various sides. Among those present was Rep. Wayne Owens, D-Utah, who urged compromise.Environmentalists want the U.S. Forest Service to restrict timber sales in the national forests, saying the harvests disrupt potentially endangered wildlife.
Sawmill operators complain that only small portions of the forests are available for cutting, and that the scoping process necessary before the bidding process can begin is time consuming and cumbersome.
The Friday meeting, like the three previous meetings, was tense.
The environmental groups included the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, the Sierra Club and the Friends of Dixie. Representing the timber interests were Stephen Steed of Escalante Sawmills and Jim Madsen of Kaibab Forest Products. Various Forest Service and local political officials were also present.
The two groups agreed to submit to mediation by John Folk-Williams, a negotiator who recently successfully handled mediation in New Mexico between the Forest Service, the timber industry and environmentalists.
He was optimistic that some common ground could be found, particularly on short-term issues.
"We need to get on down the road," he said.
Garfield County Commission Chairman Tom Hatch said mediation holds potential but added that past disappointments have curbed his optimism.