Philip Lovejoy

Dear Chair, Thank you for the opportunity to testify in opposition to House Bill 1440. My name is Philip Lovejoy and I am the president of the Blue Hills Foundation, Inc., a not for profit operating foundation dedicated to land conservation that holds almost 8,000 acres of land in Strafford and abutting towns. We manage this land with an ecology first approach, while also managing the forests for carbon sequestration and for timber for harvest. We also support sustainable agriculture on the land. We engage a variety of professionals, including foresters, ecologists and other scientists in establishing our management plans. Our land is open to the public for passive recreation and hunting. I am opposed to this bill because not only is a major infringement of private property rights, but it will also add unnecessary burdens to landowners who are working hard to conserve land in a state where values are escalating and development pressures are increasing. It inserts government into areas where it should not be, and assumes that landowners cannot balance management strategies for multiple uses. We are an example of how it can be done successfully without state intervention. I also wonder how “best forestry management” practices would be determined when there are many different elements that go into developing an appropriate management plan for different lands and ecosystems across the state. As I understand it there is a commission looking at the tax implications of forest carbon projects and it seems that it would make sense for that commission to do its work before legislating new laws around carbon projects. This proposal is wrong on several levels including land use policy, scientifically, and economically. It is a significant departure from New Hampshire’s laws governing forest management. I am opposed to this bill, and believe the committee should kill it. Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony in opposition to this bill on behalf of the Blue Hills Foundation and as a resident of New Hampshire. Sincerely, Philip W Lovejoy