thinning

  • Fire and Fish (Aquatic Ecosystems)

    George Wuerthner

    Looking down Cache Creek from Republic Pass, Yellowstone NP, WY   One of the many excuses used to justify “thinning” and logging today is to preclude massive wildfires. Notwithstanding, there is considerable evidence that such actions do not impede large fires, which only occur during extreme fire weather; people still use this as an excuse.…

  • Forest Restoration or Forest Degradaton?

    George Wuerthner

    Note the lack of plant diversity on the left side of the path which was “treated” to “restore” the forest. Photos by George Wuerthner These two images display a recent example of a forest “restoration” project designed to improve the “health” of a ponderosa pine forest. The area to the left of the path was…

  • Removing 21-inch Protection For Large Trees Isn’t Restoration

    George Wuerthner

    Large old growth grand fir like this pictured could be cut if the 21-inch rule is discarded. Photo by George Wuerthner Old-growth fir trees in the Lookout Mountain Proposed Wilderness, Ochoco National Forest, Photo by George Wuerthner The Forest Service is proposing to remove the prohibition against logging trees larger than 21 inches that grow…

  • Medicine Bow NF Massive Logging Unacceptable

    George Wuerthner

    The Medicine Bow National Forest is proposing to implement the  Landscape Vegetation Analysis (LaVA) Project, one of the most massive logging operations in the lower 48 states.  As much as 320,000 acres (an area bigger than Grand Teton National Park) will be “treated” by logging and other “vegetation” manipulations. http://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=51255 In the 1970s, the Targhee…

  • Bozeman Watershed Project Spills Bad Blood

    George Wuerthner

    Hyalite Reservoir in Bozeman watershed. Photo by George Wuerthner   Safeway in ruin at Paradise California despite being surrounded by parking lot–lack of fuel didn’t save the building Photo by George Wuerthner   Back in the Middle Ages, it was a common practice for “doctors” to bleed the “bad blood” from sick patients. If the…

  • Rocky Mountain Restorative Initiative Logging Trojan Horse

    George Wuerthner

    The recent Durango Herald article about the proposal for aggressive logging of Southwest Colorado Forests supported by the Rocky Mountain Restorative Initiative (RMRI) is a classic example of the Industrial Forestry worldview. https://durangoherald.com/articles/306885 The (RMRI) implies that trees killed by drought, beetles, or anything other than a chainsaw are somehow abnormal.  Not surprisingly, the membership…

  • Fire/Logging Myths

    George Wuerthner

    MYTH: FUEL BUILD UP IS RESPONSIBLE FOR LARGE BLAZES? A conventional narrative is that wildfires in the western U.S. are unprecedented and more extensive than in the past. This increase in fire acreage is attributed to “fuel build-up,” presumed to be the result of successful fire suppression. However, such assertions lack context. Compared to the…

  • Proposed Wildfire Legislation Ignores Science

    George Wuerthner

    Recently it was announced by Montana Senator Steven Daines that he plans to introduce a bipartisan bill with Senator Diane Feinstein of California to protect communities from wildfire. The senators are concerned that wildfire season is getting worse and large fires are a threat to communities. On both counts, the senators are correct. However, the…

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‎”At some point we must draw a line across the ground of our home and our being, drive a spear into the land and say to the bulldozers, earthmovers, government and corporations, “thus far and no further.” If we do not, we shall later feel, instead of pride, the regret of Thoreau, that good but overly-bookish man, who wrote, near the end of his life, “If I repent of anything it is likely to be my good behaviour.”

Edward Abbey

“The continued existence of wildlife and wilderness is important to the quality of life of humans.”

Jim Fowler

“Our forests offer much more than just beautiful landscapes and wildlife. Each one has a different story to tell.”

Raveena Tandon

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