The Cost of a DEP PR Stunt
Just mention “SUPERSTORM SANDY” and anything is possible
Will That Replace “SUPERSTORM SANDY” Tree Blowdowns?
No big surprise that the record breaking Christie DEP Press Office issued another typical self serving press release yesterday, announcing a tree seedling giveaway initiative, see:
But, hey, wait a minute. That sounds great.
DEP is going to replace the trees blown down by Sandy? Really? All of them? A New Reforestation Program? Wow.
But, of course the DEP has no intention of doing any of that – the DEP press release was a steaming pile of bullshit from the get go.
But, that fact didn’t stop our intrepid press corps – who went all Steve Colbert on it – remember it was Colbert who famously described the press’ role:
The President makes decisions. He’s the decider. The press secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Just put ’em through a spell check and go home. Get to know your family again. Make love to your wife. Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration? You know, fiction!
I guess because the DEP press release blasted “CHRISTIE ADMINISTRATION” and “SUPERSTORM SANDY” in the headline – and because the press knows nothing about forests or numbers – well, I guess the editors and transcribers thought it was important.
The press even swallowed DEP’s spin and described the one shot giveaway as a “new program”.
It generously might be called a “new initiative” instead of a a “one shot”, but a real “program” requires institutional structure, goals, objectives and plans, funding, and ongoing continuing effect. DEP is providing none of that.
And here’s the kicker – if you actually read the DEP press release and think for just one second, the bullshit is made SOOO obvious.
This is an exaggerated, spun, one shot, microscopically small bore initiative, and the numbers make that obvious.
DEP Commissioner Martin, a business consultant who knows the cost of everything, was sure to mention this in the press release:
The State Forestry Service’s Forest Nursery opened in Jackson in 1982 where foresters grow 500,000 trees annually. The nursery sells the majority of trees in packets of 100 to private landowners, including families and businesses, who use the trees to reforest their land. Packet prices start at $30.
So, let’s do the math and see how much this big Sandy tree replacement “program” might cost:
(115,000 seedlings)/(100 seedlings/packet) X ($30/packet) = $34,500
The sad part is that we tried to get Sandy tree blowdown considered during the recent legislative debate on the “Forest Stewardship” bill see:
Blowdowns undermined the rationale for that bill that the forestry people wanted as cover for harvesting trees on state lands i.e. commercial logging.
WE also noted that the bill lacked “afforestation” and urban forestry objectives, see:
But our blowdown, urban foresty, and reforestation arguments were conveniently ignored by DEP and the press.
But now that it makes a convenient PR stunt, all of a sudden DEP is talking about huge number of blowdowns. And creating a totally false impression that they have a “new program” in place to reforest NJ.
And their spin gets transcribed. So, some facts and context are in order:
- NJ lost millions of trees in Sandy.
- NJ is spending BILLIONS of dollars rebuilding in the same vulnerable locations.
How does a $34,000 stunt stack up against that agenda?
I guess reforestation and urban forestry are real priorities of the Christie DEP! (snark!)