Destroying the forest to save it…
[Talk about not seeing the forest for the trees… the hypocrisy and crimes against the heritage of humanity of the Bush Administration proceed apace. Click on the link above to hear some ideas on how to deal with this! Note: the difference between the Bush and the Clinton Administration is very clear… Clinton was a lot more subtle about fucking over the environment. Remember: the salvage rider went through on his watch. Vote Green if you’re tired of this shit. -Thomas]
The Administration Can’t See the Forest for the Sequoias
By Chad Hanson
John Muir Project
Monday 30 December 2002
The federal government’s own scientists have consistently found that removal of large trees increases severe fire risk by removing the most fire-resistant elements — big trees — from the forest and by reducing the cooling shade of the forest canopy.
The logging of mature trees also increases sun exposure, causing more rapid growth of highly flammable brush within a few years.
Indeed, the comprehensive Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Report, which was produced by university and Forest Service scientists, concluded that “timber harvest, through its effects on forest structure, local microclimate and fuel accumulation, has increased fire severity more than any other recent human activity.”
The report recommended thinning of undergrowth and prescribed burning as appropriate fire management tools. It strongly opposed the removal of mature trees.
The Forest Service’s own National Fire Plan, which again was developed by government scientists, warned that the Forest Service “should not rely on commercial logging or new road building to reduce fire risks” because the “removal of large, merchantable trees from forests does not reduce fire risk and may, in fact, increase such risk.”
