I am concerned about proposed budget cuts to the Maine Forest Service that would cut the number of forest rangers by 36 percent, strips rangers from their current responsibility of enforcing forestry laws and proposes to replace 48 rangers with just seven natural resource officers.

That is a 91 percent reduction in workforce, including cuts to support staff and aircraft and helicopter pilots.

The consequences of this ill-advised proposal are far-reaching. This reduction in staff would result in less firefighting equipment and established facilities maintained where needed.

Outreach training to fire departments would be seriously reduced, as would participation by well-trained responders to natural and man-made disaster emergencies.

Reimbursement to towns for suppression costs will also suffer, as only 9 percent of the current enforcement officers would be available to catch and prosecute violators. No other agency is prepared to assume the responsibility of the gap left by legislating this proposal.

In exchange for that serious reduction of services that taxpayers have come to expect, the entire reorganization will save Maine taxpayers less than $40,000. Far more will be lost than gained by this proposal.

In 2014 alone, forest rangers fielded 4,123 complaints, many of which were complex cases that required pursuit through the judiciary system. Rangers also performed 37,762 compliance inspections.

The public needs to get involved in an effort to protect the Maine Forest Service from the folly of gutting this effective enforcement service that performs thousands of hours of fire prevention and wildfire suppression.

Nel Bernard, Poland

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