George Wuerthner

Recently Donald Trump used his executive authority to mandate increased logging of our public lands with the goal of reducing wildfire threat to communities. His order instructs land managers to treat (read log) 8.45 million acres of land and cut 4.4 million board feet of timber ostensibly to reduce fire hazard. Unfortunately, the mandate ignores…

In his recent commentary “Stop the Blame Game” in the Reno Gazette-Journal, Dennis Golden reveals the dangers of pop culture solutions that lack scientific scrutiny. In his piece, Mr. Golden has many misleading or inaccurate assumptions about livestock production and climate change. https://www.rgj.com/story/opinion/voices/2019/02/07/stop-blame-game-lets-find-climate-change-solutions-golden/2807017002/ First, he rhetorically asks if it really matters whether global heating is…

I’ve visited Wendell State Forest in Massachusetts to explore the area the state proposes logging for “forest health”. In a recent article in the Greenfield Recorder, Leo Roy, State Department of Conservation & Recreation has argued that he fears the forest will become too homogenous and healthiest in the long run. As a forest ecologist,…

Recently the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission approved new smoke rules that relax air quality standards to permit more prescribed burning. The assumption behind the new standards is that greater prescribed burning in spring and fall will reduce smoke from wildfires in the summer. Prior to the new regulations, agencies doing prescribed burning had minimal windows…

In a recent commentary “Working to Improve Forest Health” posted by James Cummings of the Boone and Crockett Club mistakenly assumes that current wildfires are somehow “abnormal” and a sign of unhealthy forests.  Then, since he creates a problem where none exist, he prescribes more active management in the form of logging/thinning as the means…

  The Upper Green River grazing allotment on the Bridger Teton National Forest (BTNF) lies between the Gros Ventre Range and Wind River Range. The allotment is one of the most important wildlife habitats outside of Yellowstone National Park. Indeed, the Upper Green’s wildlife habitat quality has been compared to Yellowstone’s famous Lamar Valley. Among…

INTRODUCTION The Gallatin Range lies between Bozeman and the northwest corner of Yellowstone National Park.  Whether to advocate for Wilderness designation for as much of the range that qualifies or supports less restrictive, and consequently less protective designations is an on-going discussion. Wilderness is the “Gold Standard” for land protection, and I contend that if…

Oh, give me land, lots of land under starry skies above Don’t fence me in Let me ride through the wide open country that I love Don’t fence me in Let me be by myself in the evenin’ breeze And listen to the murmur of the cottonwood trees Send me off forever but I ask…