New Hampshire: Attorney General gets tough on logging rules when it comes to this logger

Loggers typically are allowed to start cutting as soon as they file a
basic form recording the impact their proposed project will have on
wetlands. But the state is taking a stricter approach to logger Gary
Bardsley, who has been cited for violations in at least eight central
New Hampshire towns. According to state records, Bardsley has paid
nearly $40,000 in fines since 2000. Most recently, he and another
logger were fined for turning a brook in Groton brown from runoff. He
and logger David Porter paid $3,900 in fines, but the case was passed
on to the attorney general’s office. Assistant Attorney General Evan
Mulholland is asking Grafton County Superior Court to require
Bardsley, Porter and partner Linda Griffin to restore the Groton site,
pay more fines and submit plans to the state Department of
Environmental Services for approval before cutting any more trees.

The state also wants Bardsley to disclose his record over the past four
years to property owners before logging their land. Loggers in New
Hampshire are not required to be licensed, and most follow best
management practices to protect wetlands and maintain a healthy
forest, Mullholland said. “In this case, and specifically for Gary
Bardsley, he has repeatedly failed,” he said. “We think we have to do
this to protect … the sensitive areas.” Brad Simpkins, director of
the Division of Forests and Lands, said state agencies are limited in
their ability to keep a logger who has amassed violations from going
form one project to the next. “As long as a logger or someone can pay
the fine, we really don’t have a legal mechanism to prevent them from
logging in the future,” he said. Jasen Stock, executive director of
the Timberland Owners Association, said he is working with lawmakers
to change that. He notes that drivers lose their licenses if they
break the law too many times. “The fact that (Bardsley is) being fined
shows that the mechanism works,” he said. “The question is, are the
penalties effective in preventing that behavior from being repeated.”
http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2009/01/25/ag_logger_should_seek_approval_for_cutting_trees/?p1=Well_MostPop_Emailed6

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