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Re: Blue box cop would catch recycle cheaters, Sept. 20 Now I have heard everything. Getting $70,000 a year to check the contents of people’s blue boxes? Where do I sign up for this job? I wonder what qualifications a person might have to have to apply? Counf me in! And to think, all these 23 years I have struggled. Where does it end? Blue box cop waste of cash This is a blataht example of why munici- palities, towns and cities are in such finan- cial dire straits. Town ’ruined by development’ I am writing on behalf of everyone who has to suffer seeing our beautiful comâ€" munity of Stouffville becoming ruined by development. Lately, when I am walking through town, 1 will come across a new subdivision or building sprouting out of the ground. The newest development site I noticed was for the land at Main Street and Tenth Line. This piece of land is one of the few natural fields Stouffville has left and once it becomes developed, there is not a way ow much is a forest worth? And how do we calculate that value? Do we simply count the trees and figure out how much we could get for them if we were to cut them down and turn them into logs, lumber and pulp and paper? That’s been the traditional approach, but it hasn't served us well. A forest is much more than the timber it holds. A forest provides habitat for wildlife, recreational opportunities for hikers and hunters, a place for quiet contemplation and filtration and storage of drinking water. And because forests scrub car- bon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in their trees and soils, they are a critical “hedge” against global warming. When we take into account all of the ecological benefits or ser- vices a forest provides, we have to reevaluate the way we make deci- sions about how we manage them Clear-cutting an oldâ€"growth forest may provide temporary jobs and profits, as well as two-by-fours [ETTERS P0l|(Y The Sunâ€"Tribune welcomes your IPllt‘l’fi. All submissions must be less than 400 words and must indudo a daytime li‘lt‘phnnt‘ number. name and addrvss. l‘hv Sunv'I‘rihune rosvrvrs the right to publish or nm publish and to edit for clarity and spare. Lettets to the Editor. The Sun-Tribune 6290 Main St StoufMlle. GM LM IG7 Stouflville Sun-Tribune I Saturday, Sept. 27: jmasonOyrmg.com Can’tsee the forest for the trees LETTERS TO THE EDITOR CHARLOTTE STAMP BALLANTRAE lmmmwr. M EDIA Marketing Advertising Manager I )nurna Andrews EnrmmAL Regional Editor ’Imnr Kihblp inndmvsfi'yrm‘ Ikihhlpfit‘vrmtz. mn Editor Iim Mason n (n‘vrmg to build homes and fumiture, but if it also results in the release of carbon stored in the trees and soil, thus contributing to global warm- ing, or if it wipes out the habitat of an animal crucial to the natural order, then the short-tenn gains may not be worthwhile. TWO new reports illustrate the idea of taking into account the full suite of values that a forest repre- sents or its “natural capital" when making decisions about resource management. Dollars and Sense: The Eco- nomic Rationale to Protect the Spotted Owl Habitat in British Columbia and The Real Wealth of the Mackenzie Region: Assess- ing the Natural Capital Values of a Northern Boreal Ecosystem both argue for a more holistic approach to managing our natural ecosysâ€" tems. For a long time, we’ve only considered the immediate market value of resources when making forest-use decisions. In doing so, we’ve ignored the enormous value of the ecosystem services critical (‘0 m in the world it will come back to its natural state. If the land gets developed, is it not only the environment that is the issue. There will also be controversy with traffic. New lots mean there will be many more people driv- ing out onto the roads causing confusion. Picture the problems that would occur with cars coming from all directions. Sure. there is the possibility of placing traffic lights, but that just adds to the construc- tion also. With the Kit Kat Variety store and Petro Canada gas station already located on the same intersection, it means the area is already busy. , 7 A Anbther'point I would like to get across is that we have several business that we can already support Stouffvi‘lleth r Rather .tl-ian building new facilities and taking up precious land, people can buy products from the existing stores. There are so many unique stores down- town, it isn’t necessary to open anymore new buildings. If a change can be made in preventing development within Stouffville, things will end up working out for the best. People will notice the land is much more valuable over constructed buildings in the long run. Stouffville is our town. How do you want it to end up? Classified Manager Bonnie Rondmu hmndnmdn‘vrmg mm ADVERTISING Retail Manager I )ianne Mahomfv :lmnhnnrflfl‘vnng mm 'Sif’i’v‘i'iTribune PUBLISHER Ian Proudfoot 6290 Main St. StoufMlle. 0N. MA 167 www.yonueg|on.com HARLEY JOHNSON STOUFFVILLE to biodiversity, human health and community wellâ€"being. Although it's not easy to put a dollar value on things such as carbon sequestration and stor- age. water filtration, clean-water availability and species diversity, it’s foolish to leave them out of the equation. For Dollars and Sense, research ers looked not just at the value of timber in oldâ€"growth forests in B.(' inhabited by the endangered spot- ted owl, but also at the value of rec reational uses, non-timber forest products and the role the forests play in storing carbon. PRODUCTION Team Leader Shan I My whlflfl‘vr‘nm rum David Suzuki Chummom MM )mnno Emma IN Cum Debora Kelly They concluded “in 72 of 81 scenarios, increased forest con- servation yields better economic returns than does status quo log- ging and limited conservation". The Mackenzie report con- cludes the non-market value of that region is 11 times greater than the market value. The researchers estimate the market value, based on gross domestic product, is $41.9 billion a year, while the non-market value, based on 17 ecosystem services. is $483.8 billion. The outcome in the Mackenzie region has been positive. Under the Northwest Territories Protected Area Strategy, a collaborative effort between the governments of Can- ada and the Northwest Territories, First Nations, conservation groups, and industry, the federal govern- ment announced earlier this year it plans to protect 10.1 million hect- ares of northern boreal forest. The goal is to create a culturally and ecologically representative network of protected areas, ensurâ€" ing communities benefit from both DISTRIBUTION 905â€"640-261 2 HH'I'ORIAI 905-640â€"261 x‘ 905640-8‘ A l)VER'I‘lSlN( 905-640â€"2611 ml: 14100â€"743 \ 905-640â€"87 Busmass MANAGER Dumcron, ADVERTISING Robert Lazurko u DISTRIBUTION Nicole Fletcher H A York Region Media Group community newspaper The Sun‘Tribune. published every Thursday and Saturday. is a division of the Metroiand Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. Metroiand is comprised of 100 community publications across Ontario. The York Region Newspaper Group inciudes The Liberai, serving Richmond Hill and Thornhili. Vaughan Citizen, The Era-Banner (Newmadtet/ Aurora). Markham Economist Sun, Georgina Advocate, York Region Business Times, North of the City, yorkregioncom and York Region Printing. conservation and development. The areas] will be protected from industrial development, including oil and gas exploration and dia- mond and uranium mining. The spotted owl habitat hasn't fared as well. So far, the BC gov- ernment has not announced any plans to increase levels of protec- tion for these areas. SEW-Tribune But it's not just about saving the spotted owl, as important as that is. It's about finding a balance and about ensuring we derive the greatest benefit for all from our forestlands. Taking into account all the values of a forest doesn't mean an end to logging and mining; it just means finding better ways to manage all our activities in these ecosystems and it means putting a value on the very real services they provide. If we don't address the serious problems of global warming and biodiversity loss, as well as issues such as access to clean air and water, we may well join the spottt‘d owl on the endangered list. You REGION Pumnm.‘ GENERAL MANAGER Bob Dean