Real-Life Decision Making -- Solution
You decide to let the landowner log his land.
It's a tough call, but you have to do what you feel is right. Also,
since the landowner met all the legal criteria, any refusal on your part would
have meant going to court and losing.
Many of the citizens aren't happy with your ruling, so you hold a
community meeting to explain your position. It was unpleasant. People hurled
insults at you and one older woman even came up and hit you with her purse.
But you did what you are paid to do: inform the community and stay as neutral
as possible. It takes a while to regain the trust of the community again,
but your peers respect you for your courage and, most importantly, you respect
yourself.
"Good judgment is essential. Some of the issues facing foresters today
were caused by poor judgments in the past by foresters who were not able or
willing to communicate with the public about their desires," says Terrance
W. Clark. Clark is the associate director of science and education for the
Society of American Foresters.
"A mistake in the forest often makes an immediate and dramatic
visual or environmental impact that may take years to recover," he adds.