Chris: 61 years I've lived here; was born in Fbks about the same time the governor was; I've lived in southeast since 1963. Where there used to be production, there is now almost none. I"m sorry, but the cases you've cited in southeast are invalid; they are wastes of public resources. 

We used to have a timber industry here. The Tongass can easily support a saw log industry: I'm environmentally inclined but preservationism has ruined our home. Our southeast towns are now run by a group I call environmental communists (enviro-comms). These idiots work for the government: they are the only people left with any money! They seek to determine public policy, even tho they could never live here because they are too stupid to be able to survive here without government paychecks. 

I"m celebrating the state going broke and very happy that, with $20 trillion, the feds will have to lay off forest service people and maybe, just maybe, we can get part of our home back.