The lead editorial on Dec. 27, “A gift to big timber” was the most negative piece of journalism the Sun Journal has printed this year.

The national forests were established to protect public watersheds and provide raw material for industry. The White Mountain National Forest in Maine and New Hampshire was purchased many years ago as cutover and burned lands. It is now producing some of the most valuable hardwoods in North America. At a time when we are importing so much from foreign countries, we have a golden opportunity to harvest American-grown timber and manufacture it locally.

What is so wrong about selling timber to our industry? It provides jobs in the forest, in the factories, in the market and pays taxes.

The days of forest exploitation on public lands are long gone. The Forest Service is capable of managing these lands sustainably for timber, water and wildlife. Don’t believe the scare tactics of the Wilderness Society and others. Talk with the real experts, such as New Hampshire Timber Owners Association and Northeastern Loggers Association, to get the true facts.

Fred A. Huntress Jr., Warner, N.H., New England Forestry Consultants