The Grassy Narrows Anishinabe Nation currently operate two wood rendering mills on their tribal lands, that in-turn provide numerous jobs for tribal members living on reservation land. Most of the lumber used in these plants is cut on tribal land. It stands to reason that they'd very much like to cut-out any competition for raw product that they possibly could.
By eliminating the harvesting of lumber from nearby "traditional-use" lands by non-tribal members, the tribe effectively increases the value of the product THEY harvest.
Their issue is not unlike the issue I witnessed first-hand in Alaska leading up to and shortly after the land settlement reached between the federal government and the local native tribes - economics. Many (and I knew some personally) of the most ardent opponents to lumber-cutting in the national forests of Alaska became HUGE proponents of the industry and profited greatly when the land "giveaway" (as Sourdough Alaskans called it) took efect.
I also knew several owners of non-native logging companies that went-out of business when this happened. The funny thing is that the clear-cutting (of forests) actualy became MORE severe after the settlement was reached between the tribes and the federal government.
Dennis Plante Jordan
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