Recently, I wrote an article proposing a “Thought Experiment” where I suggested reverting back to managing our forests as a viable natural resource instead of as a random, chaotic and untamable wilderness.
My premise was that the “preserve the wilderness” experiment which has been foisted on the public is a natural disaster in the making.
I received tons of e-mail responses and I appreciate the stories that were shared with me. Today, I will share some of the thoughtful responses which I received:
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“Your article is spot on. In Arizona, we have
lost 29% of our forests due to forest fires, primarily in Wilderness Areas
where you can’t even take mechanized equipment in for anything. We have
data where a thinned and managed forest butts up to an unmanaged forest and a
fire virtually stopped.” – Mike
- “No one at the city, county, state or federal
level is responsive to what the public, who has to endure the absolute
destruction of their timberlands and the subsequent suffocating smoke, thinks
or wants from their public lands. The USFS mantra that fire is a good and
natural ‘tool’ has seemed to have taken firm hold in the minds of those who
hold absolute control over our public lands.” – Jeff
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“Thank you for writing what several of us have
been discussing for a while. I raise cattle in both the valley and my
ranch, which borders the Crooked River National Grass lands outside of Madras,
on the side. I also enjoy hunting and fishing where I’ve seen exactly
what you wrote in your editorial.” – Mike
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“Having family land in South Dakota devastated
by out of control fires and almost an entire forest destroyed by the bark
beetle (which the forestry dept. refused to deal with until half (?) of the
Harney national forest was dead) we know the frustration of ill-thought out
policies.” – Jackie
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“Now that is a breath of fresh air. Having
worked in the timber industry and as a firefighter for over 20 years, it is
nice to hear someone speaking like this.” – Ray
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“I have served my country most of my life as a
veteran and with the US Treasury. I am born and raised Oregonian as my family
has been for a century. I can't say any of us have seen a spotted owl, but we
have certainly seen the social, moral and financial decline of our home. What
are we to do?” – Joshua
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“I strongly disagree with your wilderness
scenario. Please provide any peer reviewed study that reflects your opinion
that a wilderness designation leads to destruction of that ecosystem.” – Linda
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“I grew up in the 30's & 40's as a daughter
of a timber faller, living in rural Washington state. I don't ever recall
forest fires in that time span… So, there is truth in what you mentioned
about this was their lively hood. Maybe this is what we need to get back to
taking care of our natural resources.” –
June
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“This is a very direct and honest appraisal of
the current situation. I do find a couple of problems with it, however. First,
common sense went out the door several decades ago.” – Brad
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“While I agree with most of your comments, I
disagree on the debris [in streambeds comments]. Back when they shut down
logging to save Spotted Owl, I was a logger, when they shut down all logging.
They hired us to remove all the debris in the screams for fish habitat. They
found out the fish needed that debris in the creeks to create pools so they
could lay eggs and hatch. So, the forest service paid us to put debris back
into the streams.” – Jim
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“Sisters economic engine is tourism and we have
been affected by the smoke in Central Oregon. I appreciate your thoughts and
comments on failed forest policy that is so affecting our businesses in the
west.” – Judy
My claim is basic: bad policy lies at the at the root of our mega-fire problems.
We know that wildfires are
often caused by either natural phenomenon, such as lightning, or human interactions in our forested lands. However, wildfires are
not like the natural disasters occurring from the hurricanes and tornadoes of
the Gulf coast. The difference between fire events and tornadoes is that we can exercise far
more control and management, both before and after the event. This is where policy is key. It is the most essential and effective tool in our stewardship toolbox.
The mega-fires that are ravaging
the Western states are typically on federal land and this is directly related to
USFS policy. Fewer trees are being removed from federal lands. As a result,
there is more forest debris with tons of dead and dying trees cluttering the forest floor. Decades of of mismanagement has allowed these fuels to accumulate and this debris is the fuel for wildfires.
In the complex forest
landscapes across Oregon, any “one-size-fits-all” policy would be inappropriate. Sometimes
grasses should be promoted, sometimes not. Some acreage should be thinned
to 30 trees per acre, others 100, an others still more. Additionally, our forest management
policy and fire suppression efforts, need to structured with an appropriate mix of incentives. The current incentive structure
for funding and managing large-scale fire complexes is perverse and the
“one-size” format is detrimental to the well-being of our wildlife, watersheds,
forests and ourselves.
Now is the
time to pressure Washington. We should give states
greater autonomy in managing these lands or return these public lands back to the
states. Our federal bureaucracies are proving that they are too
expensive, slow and unyielding when it comes to managing the landscape to our high expectations.
Remember, if we don't stand for rural Oregon values and common-sense, No one will!
Dennis Linthicum Oregon State Senate 28
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1728 Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, S-305, Salem, Oregon 97301 Email: sen.DennisLinthicum@oregonlegislature.gov Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/linthicum
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